Bringing Janta to Jan Shatabdi
Sanjeeva Shivesh, DyFA&CAO/Bridges/WR/CCG
Jan Shatabdis’s
(JSs) were inaugurated with much fanfare this year with these objectives….
“…..these trains will have
most of the characteristics of the current Shatabdi express trains and will
also have specially designed 2nd class chair car accommodation”
Let’s once again
remember the Shatabdi Philosophy
“Superfast, Intercity trains
known as the SHATABDI EXPRESS
link major cities and offer facilities for quick and comfortable travel. While
you relax, the Shatabdi hospitality treats you to meals and snacks. Before you
are through, your destination has arrived.”
As
suggested by Sainani sir, in the discussion on the same subject matter in
the IRAS TIMES, some analysis is as
follows:-
The
table indicates point-to-point Jan Shatabdi’s occupancy in terms of seat
available on the next two days in JS and total seats available in the train.
All data has been culled from www.indianrail.gov.in. and P&T
reservation inquiry system.
OCCUPANCY
It
can be seen that with the sole exception of Madgaon-Mumbai JS all other JS on
an average have less than 10% occupancy, not to speak of 0% of Ranchi - Tata
JS. It is clear that only one JS out of 16 is serving the purpose. May be
someone would say that Dehradun-NDLS JS with 25% occupancy has some potential.
|
Train Number |
Train Name |
Next day Seat |
2nd day seat |
Total seat |
% Occupancy |
|
2071/2072 |
Tatanagar-Ranchi |
732 |
732 |
732 |
0% |
|
2075/2076 |
Ernakulam-Trivandrum |
734 |
737 |
752 |
2% |
|
2067/2068 |
Guwahati-Dimapur |
625 |
645 |
656 |
5% |
|
2057/2058 |
Chandigarh-New Delhi |
656 |
655 |
705 |
7% |
|
2069/2070 |
Raigarh-Raipur-Durg |
721 |
729 |
732 |
2% |
|
2053/2054 |
Lucknow-Varanasi |
630 |
671 |
682 |
8% |
|
2055/2056 |
Dehradun-New Delhi |
511 |
438 |
684 |
25% |
|
2063/2064 |
Katihar-Patna |
396 |
397 |
412 |
4% |
|
2061/2062 |
Habibganj-Jabalpur |
710 |
704 |
737 |
4% |
|
2065/2066 |
Howrah-Malda Town |
527 |
511 |
549 |
4% |
|
2081/2082 |
Ahmedabad-Bhuj |
349 |
360 |
362 |
4% |
|
2077/2078 |
Chennai - Vijayawada |
675 |
701 |
751 |
10% |
|
2059/2060 |
Kota-Nizamuddin |
625 |
646 |
725 |
14% |
|
2073/2074 |
Bhubaneshwar-Howrah |
645 |
634 |
711 |
9% |
|
2079/2080 |
Yesvantpur-Hubli |
705 |
729 |
732 |
4% |
|
2051/2052 |
Madgaon-Mumbai |
33 |
155 |
610 |
95% |
The last six
months occupancy figures for 2081/2082 ADI-Bhuj JS is 2% for 2nd S
and 24% for AC chair car.
JS Fare vs. Mail Express Fare
Here one can make out as to why the
occupancy is low. The table below lists Mail / Express fare for Second class
seating. For some points, 2nd class seating is not available due to
night trains,, accordingly, 2nd Sleeper class fare has been taken.
It
is clear that JS fare is approx. Rs.50/- higher than M/E fare for seating class
or it is more or less same as 2nd Sleeper class. i.e., to say you
end up paying same fare for JS for the
journey which can be performed comfortably sleeping on a M/E service rather
than sitting for the active part of your daytime.
This is primarily due to on-board
catering. Breakfast menu provides, 2 pcs of bread, 2 cutlets, Tea/Coffee with
biscuits and 500 ml water. The Evening service has Dal – chawal –paratha -
subzi along-with curd and sweets apart from chai - biskut.
|
Train
Name |
Kms |
JS fare |
M/E fare |
|
Tatanagar-Ranchi |
169 |
122 |
|
|
Ernakulam-Trivandrum |
207 |
132 |
80 |
|
Guwahati-Dimapur |
250 |
137 |
|
|
Chandigarh-New Delhi |
270 |
137 |
89 |
|
Raigarh-Raipur-Durg |
280 |
152 |
101 |
|
Lucknow-Varanasi |
302 |
152 |
102 |
|
Dehradun-New Delhi |
322 |
157 |
160SL |
|
Katihar-Patna |
328 |
162 |
163SL |
|
Habibganj-Jabalpur |
332 |
162 |
166SL |
|
Howrah-Malda Town |
332 |
162 |
166SL |
|
Ahmedabad-Bhuj |
360 |
167 |
|
|
Chennai Central-Vijayawada |
435 |
182 |
131 |
|
Kota-Nizamuddin |
461 |
187 |
135 |
|
Bhubaneshwar-Howrah |
463 |
187 |
131 |
|
Yesvantpur-Hubli |
470 |
187 |
137 |
|
Madgaon-Mumbai |
751 |
272 |
175 |
* SL implies 2nd sleeper class fare.
TRANSIT TIME
The table below provides the transit time
for all JS’s. It can be seen that the average end to end speed of JS ranges
from 39 km/hour (Ranchi-Tata JS) to 92 km/hour (Goa JS).
It can also be seen that the
relative speed of JS over the next fastest train for the route is maximum (
92/65.5 = 40% higher) for Goa JS, while it is minimum ( 56.8/56.8 = 0%) for
Bhopal –JBP. No wonder, Goa JS is fully occupied while people still have to
look for a reason to travel in JS for Bhopal-JBP when it takes the same time as
another train.
Another fact that can be seen is
that only 7 out of 16 JS’s have average speed higher than 60kmph. To an
ordinary customer, Shatabdi/Rajdhani service is not only about on-board
catering, but also speed. I remember, how we used to flock the LC gate at Gaya
in 1977-78 just to have a glimpse of Rajdhani Express. It is my personal
opinion that by labeling a service with less than 60 kmph as “Shatabdi” will only
adversely affect the Shatabdi Brand.
|
Train
Name |
Kms |
JS
Time |
ME
Time |
JS
Speed |
M/E
Speed |
|
Tatanagar-Ranchi |
169 |
4:30 |
5:20 |
39.3 kmph |
35.6
Kmph |
|
Ernakulam-Trivandrum |
207 |
4:15 |
5:00 |
48.7
kmph |
41.4
kmph |
|
Guwahati-Dimapur |
250 |
4:15 |
5:30 |
58.8
kmph |
45.5
kmph |
|
Chandigarh-New Delhi |
270 |
4:00 |
4:50 |
67.5
kmph |
55.9
kmph |
|
Raigarh-Raipur-Durg |
280 |
4:40 |
5:10 |
60.1
kmph |
54.2
kmph |
|
Lucknow-Varanasi |
302 |
4:05 |
4:35 |
74
kmph |
66.5
kmph |
|
Dehradun-New Delhi |
322 |
5:40 |
7:00 |
56.9
kmph |
46
kmph |
|
Katihar-Patna |
328 |
6:10 |
7:50 |
53.2
kmph |
41.9
kmph |
|
Habibganj-Jabalpur |
332 |
5:50 |
5:50 |
56.8
kmph |
56.8
kmph |
|
Howrah-Malda Town |
332 |
6:35 |
7:10 |
50.9kmph |
46.3
kmph |
|
Ahmedabad-Bhuj |
360 |
7:15 |
8:00 |
49.6
kmph |
45
kmph |
|
Chennai Central-Vijayawada |
435 |
6:50 |
7:10 |
63.6
kmph |
60.7
kmph |
|
Kota-Nizamuddin |
461 |
6:35 |
7:25 |
70.5
kmph |
61.8
kmph |
|
Bhubaneshwar-Howrah |
463 |
6:50 |
7:15 |
67.7
kmph |
63.8
kmph |
|
Yesvantpur-Hubli |
470 |
7:00 |
7:30 |
67.7
kmph |
62.6 kmph |
|
Madgaon-Mumbai |
751 |
8:10 |
11:25 |
92 kmph |
65.5
kmph |
Today, when we have super-fast
trains running at average speed of 45 kmph, Tata-Ranchi JS puts me to shame.
All the more so, when you would know that the bus takes 3 hours dot while the
JS takes 4and half hours. I mean, this example is just to thrust my point that
let’s not degrade a brand.
COMPETITION FROM ROAD
Though I do not have this data for
all sectors, I can specifically comment on two routes, namely, ADI-Bhuj and
Ranchi-Tata.
Frequency
of Buses = 18-20 per day
Transit
time =7-8 hours
Fare=
Rs100/- (Ordinary) and Rs.120-125/-(deluxe)
The
buses are fully occupied. Why? Because they are cheaper ( by Rs.40-60/-),
faster (by 30 min. to 1 hr., accounting for small halts near your gully
/road-head) and frequent. “Cold water”
is also served free of cost without any restriction. This is quite an
amenity in arid / semi-arid areas of Gujarat.
Frequency
= 50 buses per day.
Transit
time = 3 to 4 hours
Fare
= Rs50/-(ordinary) to RS.60/- (deluxe)
Again,
bus is the best mode. Second best is maybe Mini-bus or even a tractor. Reason
being, distance by road is 120 kms while the train route is 169 kms. Add to it
the unmatchable frequency. Buses ply every 15 minutes between these two cities
and are available every minute. Just get in and occupy your seat, it will move
within the next 15 minutes. How can a JS match this service with a fare of Rs.
122/- when a round trip can be made in the same amount? Railway-men often don’t
even use their Privilege Pass on this leg.
COMPETITION FROM WITHIN
It is not that JS’s are facing
competition from the Road sector. There is enough competition from within. The
following table lists no. of M/E trains between the two pairs of stations:-
|
Train
Name |
No of daily trains |
Overnight trains |
|
Ernakulam-Trivandrum |
20 |
5 |
|
Guwahati-Dimapur |
5-6 |
1 |
|
Chandigarh-New Delhi |
7 |
0 |
|
Raigarh-Raipur-Durg |
9 |
3 |
|
Lucknow-Varanasi |
20 |
8-9 |
|
Dehradun-New Delhi |
7 |
1 |
|
Katihar-Patna |
7 |
3 |
|
Habibganj-Jabalpur |
6 |
3 |
|
Howrah-Malda Town |
11-12 |
5 |
|
Ahmedabad-Bhuj |
3 |
2 |
|
Chennai Central-Vijayawada |
30+ |
15 |
|
Kota-Nizamuddin |
10 |
5 |
|
Bhubaneshwar-Howrah |
16 |
6 |
|
Yesvantpur-Hubli |
8 |
4 |
|
Madgaon-Mumbai |
5 |
2 |
It can again be seen that Mumbai to
Madgaon, there are only 5 pairs of trains, whereas between Chennai to
Vijayawada, there are 30 such pairs. Therefore, introducing JS in such
oversaturated sections hasn’t given the desired results.
It
is altogether a different matter that JS’s haven’t also done well in sectors
where there are less than 5 trains. In fact, if one looks at the occupancy
figures of Pinakini Express in Chennai-BZA section, it would be clear that it
has better occupancy (100 reserved, out of 224 2nd seating class
capacity). Similarly, Parshuram Express between TVC-Ernakulam has less than 30
out of more than 120 seats available in AC Chair car for the next day or train
2725/26 between Bangalore-Hubli has more than 65% occupancy in 2nd
Seating as against 4% of JS for the same leg.
The
answer to the above anomaly is obvious. JS is an expensive proposition. It is
expensive due to the cost of food. No Indian consumer would like to burden
himself with this additional Rs.50/-per head when the entire family can carry
and have home cooked meal at a lesser cost perhaps!
WHERE DO WE GO
The
answer would be better to derive once we know what are we losing. To my mind
some obvious cost elements are as follows:-
a.
Cost of fuel
b.
Direct Staff
cost ( i.e., Guard/drivers/ACCA /Catering etc.)
c.
Maintenance
Cost of Rolling Stock ( TXR/material Cost etc.)
d.
Indirect
Cost ( Wear & Tear of P-Way, Rolling Stock etc.)
ADI-Bhuj
JS consumes, on an average, 2000 liters of HSD oil for the round trip. Adding
lube oil costs, it comes to approx. Rs.50,000/- per day or Rs.1.5 crores per annum. The same rake has 1
AC chair car, 7 nos of 2nd Seating coaches and 2 nos of 2nd
seating cum Guard van i.e, 10 coaches per rake. Normally, such rakes have 20%
spare. Thus, 12 Passenger Coaching vehicles are required for JS.
W
Rly’s booking under 06D-211 i.e., running repairs for PCV carriages in Sick
lines for total PCV holding of 2783 was Rs.22 Crores in the year 2000-01. Thus,
Maintenance cost works out to Rs.9.5 lakhs for JS per annum. Another Rs. 10 lakhs for direct staff cost.
Similarly, total expenditure in 5C-311to 314 for WR for running repairs of
Diesel Electric loco in shed was Rs51.5 Cr. for total holding of 289 locos , hence
maintenance cost of JS Loco would be Rs. 57 lakhs per annum.
·
Options
o
Review rake composition. Why not reduce it to one AC , one or two
2nd S and two 2nd S cum guard van, when
passengers are not there. This will lead to savings in fuel by at least 20%
(i.e., Rs.30 Lakhs per annum) as there will be lesser tractive effort.
o
Review Catering. What is the point of serving food when
passengers are not there precisely because of this reason? Instead, we can
serve Tea/Coffee with 4-biscuits. This will reduce fare by Rs.40/- to
45/-. Further since JS coaches have the
concept of Cafeteria; food should be made available on sale basis.
o
Reversing the Journey Pattern. Intercity trains service is normally
planned keeping in view the service to nodal city. For e.g.
Delhi/Mumbai/Chennai etc. are the bases for many Shatabdi’s. However, there
appears to anomaly in JS service. ADI-Bhuj JS which presently is based at Bhuj,
may, perhaps, have a better patronage if it is ADI-Bhuj-ADI instead of the
present Bhuj-ADI-Bhuj.
o
Only such JS
should be continued which can assure average end to end speed of 60 kmph.
o
JS service
should be planned to have at least an average of 5-10kmph advantage over M/E
trains in the section.
o
Routes where
there are already more than 10 trains between 500 hrs to 2230 hrs should be
reviewed critically. Either some of the existing trains be discontinued in
order to position JS suitably or JS should be discontinued.