NEW DELHI: One-way fare to Ayodhya from Delhi by the proposed high speed (bullet) train may be around Rs 2,900 while travel to the city of Taj Mahal would cost around Rs 1,200, little more than what travel in executive class would cost in a Vande Bharat Express-type train, sources said citing a preliminary estimate by the Indian Railways.
Similarly, one-way travel to Lucknow may cost around Rs 2,300 and the ticket from Delhi to Varanasi may be approximately for Rs 3,400. Currently, passengers in the executive class of Vande Bharat Express pay around Rs 2,900.
The government has put the 808-km Delhi-Varanasi high speed rail (HSR) corridor project via Ayodhya, Agra, Lucknow and Prayagraj on a priority and a study is under way for preparing the detailed project report (DPR).
Sources said according to preliminary estimates, the cost of the project per km would be around Rs 268 crore, which includes the rolling stock (coaches). The proposed corridor will connect Delhi with major cities in Uttar Pradesh including the upcoming international airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar.
“The exact details of the halts will be finalised after the getting the detailed project report, which is being prepared by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL). We expect passengers won’t mind paying the expected fare considering that they can take the train from the heart of the city to another. People would also save time,” said a source.