Railways to reward frequent travelers

Mandsaur · Feb 21st, 2006, 08:56

From The Indian Express:

Indian Railways is implementing an initiative to ‘reward loyalty’—a concept already mastered by most airlines. Launched through its subsidiary IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp Ltd) in joint partnership with SBI Card, the scheme provides its members Railway Points on tickets purchased through IRCTC website (www.irctc.co.in)

Restricted only to the AC class traveller (except AC III tier), the Railway ‘loyalty’ Points can be used to purchase free railway tickets. ‘‘Each point is equivalent to a rupee,’’ said Amitabh Pandey, IRCTC group general manager (IT services). ‘‘A passenger must accumulate a minimum of 500 points before he can redeem them,’’ he added. The membership fee for the Shubh Yatra programme is Rs 500 for the first year and Rs 300 for subsequent years.

Full article.

crvlvr · Feb 23rd, 2006, 02:34

why bother with this scheme when you are the only railway in the country? Are the airlines stealing too much of their business?

greenchutney · Feb 23rd, 2006, 02:54

(not a post for railfanners, trainspotters, WAPHeads and tourists..

)..

a little too late from the ministry..and who cares about this in the south anymore..?..who wants to sit in the train for 34 hours between bombay and madras when the plane takes you there under 2 hours!?...

the downright neglect of anything below the narmada line (bombay and south india) is horrible...its a disgrace....no other words to express it...yeah this is a rant..but the railway minister is always from bihar or up amd delhi, patna and lucknow get all the latest..you name it...double electrified tracks....fenced lines...latest coaches and new trains..

meanwhile the commuters in bombay that give 50% of the revenue to the railway ministry travel worse that animals packed in a truck going to abbattoir.. or there is still a single track between bombay/madras or bombay/bangalore.....no electrification in majority of the section......or the same three trains that ran 30 years ago run today in the bombay/madras route....

a superfast train between hyderabad and banglore would do wonders...or the new golden triangle of madras, bangalore and hyderabad...

no worries anymore...we will just take spicejet, jet or airdeccan! thanks praful patel...go airlines....

cry for the suburban bombay commuters though...

crvlvr · Feb 23rd, 2006, 03:33

Quote:

who wants to sit in the train for 34 hours between bombay and madras when the plane takes you there under 2 hours

those people who cannot afford flights .The indian railways can get rid of their first class coaches, add a second class coach and still run full. and for the prices they charge, nothing beats it.

greenchutney · Feb 24th, 2006, 00:27

sure they will...we have the strength in numbers to always justify any infrastructure..

there 16 flights a day between bombay and madras and 20 flights a day between bombay and bangalore if you take all the airlines..add indigo and paramount to come yet...there were maybe 2 flights a day just 5 years ago when IA was the only operator...

a spicejet fare is same as the third AC in a train and going down with what Air Deccan is offering.......when the purchasing power of the people increases, and people realise its a waste of their time train travelling....and most indians still go to see families...why waste that time in the train?..same thing with working people...when i get two weeks off..why do i waste 4 days in travelling to see the family..?.

...when i can be there much much much more quicker...there is no sane comparision when the Madras Mail from Bombay takes 34 freaking hours...the average speed comes to 40Kph....and the flight is 2 hours....

just wait till the ATR's and the smaller planes come...the buses and VOLVO coaches have already killed the train in many parts of the south...these smaller planes will be the death knell......

Sama · Feb 24th, 2006, 00:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenchutney

who wants to sit in the train for 34 hours between bombay and madras when the plane takes you there under 2 hours!?...

which is exactly what killed (or is killing, since Amtrak is a joke) rail travel in the USA

steven_ber · Feb 24th, 2006, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenchutney

a spicejet fare is same as the third AC in a train and going down with what Air Deccan is offering...when i get two weeks off..why do i waste 4 days in travelling to see the family..?.

...when i can be there much much much more quicker...there is no sane comparision when the Madras Mail from Bombay takes 34 freaking hours...the average speed comes to 40Kph....and the flight is 2 hours....

just wait till the ATR's and the smaller planes come...the buses and VOLVO coaches have already killed the train in many parts of the south...these smaller planes will be the death knell......

The Madras mail takes 30 hours, but the journey time of train 2163 is only 23 hours.

3 tier air con costs Rs 969.

If half the people who use the train decided to use the plane instead, you wouldn't get a fare of less than Rs 5000, supply and demand.

greenchutney · Feb 25th, 2006, 13:34

yes...but the 'superfast' and the other one..the dadar express is never on time...i have taken both the train numerous times...and its always LATE...1 hour is for sure...2 -3 hours more like it...

there is a single track for quite a distance in this route..and the traffic on it is unbelievable...the south central railway zone and couple of other zones..the infrastructure is horrendous....

yes..its a question of supply and demand..but you can look at the example of ryan air, southwest et all...their prices have been stable for a while....also the indian middle class and upper middle class are migrating in droves to the planes and buses...as it is the short distances are gone out of the trains hands....the sleeper volvo buses have dented the train market big time and will continue to do so...

AvidTrekker · Feb 26th, 2006, 00:04

greenchutney's rant is NOT without basis.

If the Mumbai-Bangalore trains were to run at Rajdhani speeds, we could do it in 12 hours.... Mum-Chennai ditto, and B'lore-Hyderabad in seven..... Mum-Kochi in 12.... and so the drift goes.

Ideally you would go to sleep in the train starting at 21:00 or so... and wake up the next morning to disembark at 08:00.

I know that my thinking is Utopian, but then I am a bit of a dreamer...

All the Bihaari Rail Ministers have only served the cause the North India this far... and the trend continues...

BTW, I LOVE train travel.

Feb 21st, 2006, 08:56	#1
Mandsaur Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 140	Railways to reward frequent travelers From The Indian Express: Indian Railways is implementing an initiative to ‘reward loyalty’—a concept already mastered by most airlines. Launched through its subsidiary IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp Ltd) in joint partnership with SBI Card, the scheme provides its members Railway Points on tickets purchased through IRCTC website (www.irctc.co.in) Restricted only to the AC class traveller (except AC III tier), the Railway ‘loyalty’ Points can be used to purchase free railway tickets. ‘‘Each point is equivalent to a rupee,’’ said Amitabh Pandey, IRCTC group general manager (IT services). ‘‘A passenger must accumulate a minimum of 500 points before he can redeem them,’’ he added. The membership fee for the Shubh Yatra programme is Rs 500 for the first year and Rs 300 for subsequent years. Full article.

Feb 23rd, 2006, 02:54	#3
greenchutney Account Closed Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: planet earth Posts: 1,578	(not a post for railfanners, trainspotters, WAPHeads and tourists..).. a little too late from the ministry..and who cares about this in the south anymore..?..who wants to sit in the train for 34 hours between bombay and madras when the plane takes you there under 2 hours!?... the downright neglect of anything below the narmada line (bombay and south india) is horrible...its a disgrace....no other words to express it...yeah this is a rant..but the railway minister is always from bihar or up amd delhi, patna and lucknow get all the latest..you name it...double electrified tracks....fenced lines...latest coaches and new trains.. meanwhile the commuters in bombay that give 50% of the revenue to the railway ministry travel worse that animals packed in a truck going to abbattoir.. or there is still a single track between bombay/madras or bombay/bangalore.....no electrification in majority of the section......or the same three trains that ran 30 years ago run today in the bombay/madras route.... a superfast train between hyderabad and banglore would do wonders...or the new golden triangle of madras, bangalore and hyderabad... no worries anymore...we will just take spicejet, jet or airdeccan! thanks praful patel...go airlines.... cry for the suburban bombay commuters though...

Feb 26th, 2006, 00:04	#9
AvidTrekker Veda Chanting & Mantra Yoga teacher Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: body in Mumbai, head in Himalaya Posts: 2,784	Rant rant rant greenchutney's rant is NOT without basis. If the Mumbai-Bangalore trains were to run at Rajdhani speeds, we could do it in 12 hours.... Mum-Chennai ditto, and B'lore-Hyderabad in seven..... Mum-Kochi in 12.... and so the drift goes. Ideally you would go to sleep in the train starting at 21:00 or so... and wake up the next morning to disembark at 08:00. I know that my thinking is Utopian, but then I am a bit of a dreamer... All the Bihaari Rail Ministers have only served the cause the North India this far... and the trend continues... BTW, I LOVE train travel. __________________ The Universe is an ellipsoid?... or a Spheroid?? If the sphere smiles... it becomes an ellipse. This IS Creation.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Frequent Flyers Inquiry	ddevadatta	Domestic India Flights	1	Oct 22nd, 2005 21:19
Stealing pets for the reward	AnnieG	Scams and Annoyances in India	11	Aug 1st, 2005 14:08
Lufthansa Frequent Flyer	renedu	Domestic India Flights	1	Apr 11th, 2005 06:52
Opportunity for travelers	vishant	Chai and Chat	5	Feb 22nd, 2005 05:01
What other non-travel site do you frequent?	sky888	Chai and Chat	0	Aug 15th, 2004 20:42

Feb 23rd, 2006, 02:34	#2
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,493	why bother with this scheme when you are the only railway in the country? Are the airlines stealing too much of their business?

Feb 24th, 2006, 00:27	#5
greenchutney Account Closed Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: planet earth Posts: 1,578	sure they will...we have the strength in numbers to always justify any infrastructure.. there 16 flights a day between bombay and madras and 20 flights a day between bombay and bangalore if you take all the airlines..add indigo and paramount to come yet...there were maybe 2 flights a day just 5 years ago when IA was the only operator... a spicejet fare is same as the third AC in a train and going down with what Air Deccan is offering.......when the purchasing power of the people increases, and people realise its a waste of their time train travelling....and most indians still go to see families...why waste that time in the train?..same thing with working people...when i get two weeks off..why do i waste 4 days in travelling to see the family..?. ...when i can be there much much much more quicker...there is no sane comparision when the Madras Mail from Bombay takes 34 freaking hours...the average speed comes to 40Kph....and the flight is 2 hours.... just wait till the ATR's and the smaller planes come...the buses and VOLVO coaches have already killed the train in many parts of the south...these smaller planes will be the death knell......

Feb 25th, 2006, 13:34	#8
greenchutney Account Closed Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: planet earth Posts: 1,578	yes...but the 'superfast' and the other one..the dadar express is never on time...i have taken both the train numerous times...and its always LATE...1 hour is for sure...2 -3 hours more like it... there is a single track for quite a distance in this route..and the traffic on it is unbelievable...the south central railway zone and couple of other zones..the infrastructure is horrendous.... yes..its a question of supply and demand..but you can look at the example of ryan air, southwest et all...their prices have been stable for a while....also the indian middle class and upper middle class are migrating in droves to the planes and buses...as it is the short distances are gone out of the trains hands....the sleeper volvo buses have dented the train market big time and will continue to do so...

User Name		Remember Me?
Password