SAHARASA (Bihar): The first Garib Rath, an all AC train, was flagged off on Wednesday by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, who announced 50 per cent concession in its fares as against 25 per cent stated by him in Parliament.
"A passenger travelling from Saharsa to Amritsar will pay 50 per cent less fare than the three-tier AC. He will pay only Rs 695 as against normal fare of Rs 1,279 for the journey," he said while addressing a gathering after flagging it off.
The railways plan to introduce four such trains.
Later, a senior Railway official said in Delhi that the fare of Rs 695 included Rs 580 basic fare and Rs 115 for reservation, safety, air-conditioning and other charges.
Similarily, he said that the AC chaircar will cost only Rs 595, Rs 100 less than the normal fare.
The train will cover 1,500 km between Saharsa in north Bihar and Amritsar in Punjab, where lakhs of migrant Bihari labourers go every year to earn a living. It will take 26 hours for the one-way journey.
Prasad, who has been praised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the dramatic turnaround of Railways, told the gathering that development of the railways was directly linked to the country's economic progress.
"India's economic resurgence is not possible without revitalising the railways."
