Indian Railway Free Ticket Scheme: The Railways is introducing a scheme for its passengers, under which they can avail facilities like free tickets, tea, snacks and food etc. Very soon, you will not only be a rail passenger, you will also be able to avail the facilities of Indian Railways for free, because now you will get rewards on your travel. The Railways is going to launch a loyalty program. Its aim is to reward regular passengers and encourage people to travel eco-friendly. This step of the Railways is a strategic and far-reaching approach to retain passengers who are getting attracted towards budget airlines.
What is Railway Loyalty Program?
Under the railway’s loyalty program, frequent train passengers will be awarded reward points per kilometer, which they can redeem for anything from food to fares. According to the Railway Board, the IRCTC portal will be updated to resemble a digital wallet, where the longer the distance traveled, the more RailPoints they earn. These points can be used like cash. This scheme may be piloted in April on the Vande Bharat and Tejas Express premium trains.
More from Sweta Mitra
Digital systems
This project will create a digital system capable of handling millions of transactions daily. It will also need to keep passenger data secure and ensure that rewards are delivered promptly and accurately. Indian Railways currently lacks a comprehensive loyalty system, so this represents a significant opportunity. One of the objectives of this plan is to encourage passengers and freight customers to choose rail over road and air travel, as trains have a lower environmental impact.
What benefits will passengers get?
The Railways claims this will be the world’s largest loyalty program. It will cover over 7,000 railway stations, trains covering 3,500 km, and carry 30 million passengers daily. Many reward points will provide benefits: passengers will receive a discount on the base fare when booking tickets, or a free full ticket based on their points.
Additionally, passengers will be able to enjoy complimentary meals in the railway station’s luxury lounges during their journey. They will be able to order their favorite meals free of charge on the train through e-catering. Tickets can be upgraded from third AC to second AC and from second AC to first AC.