RailYatri survey: Average speed expectations from train travelers for paying superfast charges has evolved

India, May 23, 2024: As Railways introduces newer & faster trains, how open are travelers to pay for faster trains? What is the public perception of slow vs fast speeds? Is the current definition of super-fast still relevant?

To find an answer to this & other such questions, RailYatri.in – India’s leading train information and ticket booking app with more than 1.3 crore monthly users – recently conducted a survey across the country to get the answer. The survey focussed on consumer perception and expectations associated with the current additional superfast charges levied on tickets booked on certain trains, as well as the public expectations around train speeds.

As a background, Indian Railways marks trains which have a minimum average speed of 55 kms per hour and above as “Super fast trains”. For these trains which are marked as Superfast trains, an additional surcharge is levied on the train tickets. This surcharge varies between Rs. 30 to Rs. 75 depending on the class of the train ticket.

The online survey conducted by RailYatri asked the train travelers at what average train speed would they be comfortable with paying an additional superfast charge. The survey asked the train travelers four train speed ranges and were required to answer a yes or a no about their comfort for paying for that speed range. Nearly 15000 train travelers responded to this survey.

Key highlights of the survey –

* Nearly 59% of train travelers showed willingness to pay superfast charges.

* Nearly 73% said that they are not willing to pay for speeds below 55 kms/hour.

* Nearly 42% said that they are not willing to pay extra even if the train speed exceeded 100 kms/hr.

* Only 23% said that they are willing to pay for speeds between 50 – 75 kms per hour

* 41% said that they would be happy to pay if the train ran between the speed of 75 – 100 kms/hour

Company spokesperson says –

“Traveler’s perception of speed and travel time has evolved over the last decade especially since they have started experiencing the options available on roadways and air besides trains. This survey gave us valuable insights into the evolving travelers desire and expectations. With India building next generation trains like Vande Bharat, and also world class super-highways enabling speeds of 80-120 kms/hour – travelers’ expectations are bound to change. It is also important to point here that the data here was specific to long distance inter-city trains.”