Two-and-a-half months after the much hyped 10-coach air conditioned double-decker chugged out of Kacheguda station with fanfare, South Central Railway (SCR) officials are disappointed at the poor occupancy.
The response that the impressive-looking 10-coach, air-conditioned double-decker train got when it was flagged off on May 13, bound for Guntur and again on May 14, when it headed out to Tirupati, was enough to make officials assume that it would be an instant hit. They had plans to ask the Railway Board to sanction another rake once the service became popular.
However, as the days passed, poor occupancy levels have left them disheartened. A senior official said the average occupancy of the train to Guntur till now was a mere 15 per cent, while the same train on its return to Kacheguda registered 29 per cent. But on its run to Tirupati, the occupancy was pegged at 48 per cent, while on its return the average was logged at 32 per cent.
Senior officials are trying to analyse the reasons for less than expected occupancy. One of the answers that came up in a brain-storming session was extending the train to Vijayawada. But officials felt that it would take a full 150 minutes (two-and-a-half hours) for the train to travel the 35-odd km between the two places and return. This would throw current running schedules awry, sources said.
The ten AC coach train, powered by two generator cars, was a visual delight with its bright yellow and vibrant red colours creating a charm. The double-decker that has a middle deck, apart from the lower and upper decks, plush seating, eye-friendly ambient lighting, comfortable air-conditioning and well-planned interior aesthetics, was expected to attract passengers.
According to the run schedule, the 10-coach double-decker makes two runs each to Guntur (Tuesday and Friday) and returns the same day. The same rake leaves on Wednesday and Saturday and reaches Tirupati the same day. On the return, it leaves Tirupati on Thursday and Sunday.