Trains in the Duronto family are financially unviable and may be stopped in a phased manner. According to reports, Railways have started to relook at the fact as to whether the unviable trains should be discontinued. The Railways has more than 60 Duronto trains running non-stop from one end to another. It was introduced, inspite of oppositions, when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister.

These trains were given a higher pedestal than the economically viable Rajdhani Express series of trains. Only some of the Duronto trains are doing well, the others are not a viable proposition economically as it's not fully occupied. Moreover, the economies of scale emphasises on short distance travelling, as they generate more revenue.

Recently, the Railways has introduced certain measures to curb the revenue loss. One measure was to increased the fares of Duronto trains to bring them at par with the Rajdhanis. Also, Railways has  converted six Duronto trains into regular trains. Besides, it has been decided to increase the stoppage of most of the other Duronto trains.

(Picture Source: sathiyam.tv)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)