Good news is in store for the Indian Railways. Reeling under massive financial losses, estimated to be at Rs 40,000 crore, the railways might be able to recover an estimated Rs 20 crore every day with its Vikalp scheme, which was launched nationwide on Wednesday.

Under this scheme, wait-listed passengers will be able to travel in other trains on the same routes. The aim of the scheme is to utilise vacant berths in premier trains. Sources told DNA that the railways currently has to forgo about Rs 20 crore every day and Rs 7,300 crore annually on refunds for unconfirmed tickets.

Under the Vikalp scheme, passengers will be able to travel in premium trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi at regular fares, even if they book tickets in other mail or express trains for the same destinations, a spokesperson for the Indian Railways said on Wednesday. This will happen if there is availability in premium trains but no seats in express trains.

Wait-listed passengers can get confirmed accommodation in the next train if they opt for Vikalp while booking tickets online. The facility would, of course, be available for the same-class tickets across different trains – meaning if you book a ticket in three-tier AC coach, you would get an alternative accommodation in a different train in the same class.

Financially, it is a win-win situation for railways. Under Vikalp, the promise of an alternative arrangement will ensure passengers might not cancel and seek a refund, even if the chances of their wait-listed tickets getting confirmed — in the normal course of things — are slim.

The catch in this scheme is that if a passenger does not like the alternative train, he can cancel the ticket but it would be treated as cancellation of a fully confirmed ticket.

For instance, if one books a ticket in Rajdhani while choosing Vikalp but fails to get a confirmed ticket, one can end up getting a confirmed ticket of an express train. However, if the passenger cancels the ticket, he/she won't get any refund.

Vikalp may also pave the way for the introduction of more special trains, sources said. They added that the number of Vikalp seekers on different routes will give railways a realistic idea of the demand for special rates on different routes. Special trains are run by railways on some routes to meet the additional rush during festival/examination season. These trains generate approximately Rs 200 crore.

The railways have been running the scheme on six routes, including Delhi-Lucknow, Delhi-Jammu and Delhi-Mumbai sectors since November 1 on a pilot basis. From April 1, the scheme would be available on routes across the country. The system is available for online ticketing now, but it will soon be extended to over-the-counter sale also as the software is being readied for that purpose. #casansaar (DNA India)