Bright Times News: Indian Railways: Great news for those who travel by train frequently. The Ministry of Railways has canceled the service charge on premium trains, giving relief to the common people.
A circular has also been issued in this regard by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation). It should be remembered that till now a service charge of 50 rupees was levied for ordering food and water and beverages while traveling in premium trains.
Who paid the service charge before?
Those who do not opt for meal service at the time of ticket booking will not have to pay the service charge. They will get tea-water etc. at current prices. But for morning tiffin and food still have to pay an extra charge of 50 rupees.
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Until now, passengers had to pay service charges for water even on Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat trains. Now the water order does not have to pay that charge. However, the charge for morning breakfast and meals remains the same.
Demanding service charge is unfair
This decision was taken by the Railways only after the directives of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said that claiming service charges is unfair. No hotel or restaurant should charge separately for services.
As a result of the new decision by the Railways, passengers in premium trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Durant or Vande Bharat Express will get a bed at MRP. Recently, a passenger on Shatabdi Express had to pay a total of Rs 70 with a service charge of Rs 50 for tea worth Rs 20. There was quite an uproar over the picture of that bill.
Catering charges for tea, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are specified for both classes of passengers on pre-booked trains like Rajdhani, Durant, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat, IRCTC said in the circular. The notification said that this price is inclusive of GST. passengers will not have to pay any additional charges for it. Also, even if a pre-paid train runs late, the meal charges for train passengers will remain the same.
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