From July 1, 2024, Indian Railways will remove the '0' prefix from the numbers of express trains. ‘0’ is used for special trains which run on holiday seasons.  After this change, all express trains will operate with their original regular numbers. 

Trains of Rajasthan

This change includes three trains in the state: Asarva-Chittorgarh (79403), Mehsana-Abu Road (79437), and Ajmer-Gangapur City (79601). 

Railway Upgraded Passenger Train to Express

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the railway had upgraded all passenger trains to express trains. This upgrade resulted in 50% increase in fare. In this case passengers had to pay a minimum of Rs 35/- to Rs 45/- per ticket instead of Rs 10/-. However, in February, the railway reverted these trains back to passenger status instead of express.

Despite charging passenger fares, the '0' prefix was not removed from their numbers. Initially, this change was implemented for 50 trains. As of now, it has been decided to extend this change to an additional 52 trains.

In June, 2020, the Indian Railways decided to convert 502 passengers train into express trains which run beyond 200km. Indian Railways that time stated that even after converting passenger trains into express trains, the passengers were giving less money for travel. 53 Trains from North Western Railways was converted from passenger to express trains between Punjeb, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, as per the Raiways Officials. 

South Western Railway (SWR) converted 8 passenger special trains into unreserved ones in June, 2022 and 20 passenger trains into express ones with premium fares in April 2021. 

Railway Fares to Revert to Pre-COVID Rates?

The Indian Railways experienced a financial increase, as the Southern Railway reported its highest-ever revenue of Rs 6,345 crore in the passenger segment last year, marking an 80% increase compared to the previous year.

According to the reports, the Indian Railways has quietly rebranded passenger trains as 'express specials' and increased ticket prices on some routes. While this move will improve the Railways' financial standing, it places a significant burden on economically disadvantaged commuters, such as small vendors, daily wage laborers, and farmers, who rely on the trains' "affordable" fares for transportation.

Source: Dainik Bhaskar