Riding high on demand from short-distance passengers, the newly launched Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express is running at full capacity, with an average booking rate of 225% from April 26 to 30.
According to authorities, more than 200% booking rate on the premium train points to the wide acceptance of the train in Kerala. The booking pattern reveals that more than end-to-end destination passengers, short-distance commuters are relying on the train. This has helped the train clock a booking rate of over 200%.
For instance, one seat is used by close to three passengers during the entire length of the journey, Railways say. Among the various short-distance stretches, the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi stretch has more demand as per the booking trends.
Similarly, executive chair has more demand than chair car, despite the relatively high ticket fare for the former. According to the booking trends, the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod trip in the morning has more takers with 238% seat occupancy for executive chair and 215% for chair car, while the seat occupancy in the return direction is 235% and 203% respectively.
The tickets for the 1,128-seat train till the first half of May is fully booked. The ticket fare from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod for chair car is ₹1,590 and ₹2,880 for executive chair.
