Railways' first private train to start running from next week

The train will cover the distance between Lucknow and Delhi in six hours and 15 minutes. The train will have halts at Kanpur and Ghaziabad. The Tejas Express will begin its journey from Lucknow at 6.10 am, and reach Delhi at 12.25 pm. On its return journey, the train will leave New Delhi at 4.30 pm and will reach Lucknow at 10.45 pm.

The bookings for the train have already started and, reports say, more than 2,000 passengers have booked tickets in the first IRCTC-run train, Tejas Express, from Lucknow to New Delhi and back.

The Lucknow to New Delhi ticket prices for IRCTC's Tejas Express will be Rs1,125 for AC chair car and Rs2,310 for executive chair car. While a ticket on the reverse journey will cost Rs1,280 for AC chair car passengers and Rs2,450 for those opting for executive chair car. The price for AC chair car tickets from Lucknow to Kanpur will be Rs320 and for executive chair car it will be Rs630, while the Lucknow to Ghaziabad fare will be Rs1,125 (AC chair car) and Rs2,310 for executive chair car. The AC chair car fare between Delhi and Kanpur will be Rs1,155 and for executive chair car it will be Rs2,155, the officials said. 

However, the fares may vary along all sections since the train will operate on the flexi-fare scheme.

The train fare includes ticket some refreshment for both category passengers right after boarding. They will have two options — Tea/Coffee (pre-mix kit) with cookies (chair car), premium cookies for executive class. And option 2 — pre-packaged nimboo pani with cookies (chair car); flavoured lassi in lieu of nimboo pani in executive class.

Passengers travelling in AC chair car, executive chair car of the Tejas Express will also have the option of choose combo meals on board—catering charges of Rs185 for AC chair car and Rs245 for executive chair car are included in the ticket prices — for the full length of the journey (Lucknow to Delhi). The maximum charge (Delhi to Lucknow) will be Rs340 and Rs385 respectively.

For breakfast, passengers can choose from a vegetarian combo of two pieces of vegetable cutlets with poha. The other combo is two pieces of vegetable uttapam with vermicelli and coconut chutney for all. The other combo includes two pieces of Medu Vada and suji upma and coconut chutney.

A non-vegetarian option is also available which includes masala omelette and sautéd vegetables.

In all these combos, additional cornflakes, sugar sachet and milk will be provided to executive class passengers.

Passengers can also order additional edible items such as branded Mishti dahi/Mango dahi, two pieces brown bread, butter, tomato ketchup, branded fruit juice, Tea/Coffee kit, salt and pepper, mouth freshener.

Just before the end of the journey, passengers will be served light refreshments like small masala samosa/branded cookies with tea/coffee premix; additional muffin/slice of cake for Executive class.

The new Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express will be the first train of Indian Railways that will be fully run by its subsidiary IRCTC. Enabling private participation in passenger train services is part of the Railways’ 100-day agenda.