I've been caught in the crossfire just for saying this, even though I have nothing to do with both the routes.

I don't see a reason to berate some place just because you being a 'big industrial city' and all, are able fill just a few more seats than the other route.

There's...
more...

a saying that, जिनके घर शीशे के होते हैं, वे दूसरों पर पत्थर नहीं उछालते, and these people are doing exactly the opposite. All that big-mouthing when their own 'passanger oriented' route's trains are running with similar vacancies.

Vande Bharat is a good step forward for Indian Railways, offering faster, more comfortable travel. They help modernize the rail system and meet the demand for quicker and more comfortable journeys. However, to make sure they succeed, it’s VERY important to choose routes where there’s high demand, so the trains don’t run half-empty or underperform. Like, come-on, is there a need to waste 2 rakes to cater few dozen passengers in VBs like LKO-MTC and TATA-BAM.

At the same time, there's no need to stop running older trains like Shatabdi and...
more...

Rajdhani. These trains have been reliable for years and still serve passengers well. VB trains shouldn't replace them but rather complement them, giving travelers more options based on their needs and stops (for example, a train like Bhopal Shatabdi stops at Mathura and serves Mathura based pax well but other two VBs and Gatiman dont stop here)

By running both VB and traditional services, Indian Railways can cater to different types of passengers and avoid unnecessary competition between the trains. It’s all about using the right train for the right route.

I agree with you here. But even I'm amazed how someone can keep doing this, knowing well that everyone is already aware of all his shenanigans.

Even his stories aren't that well-knit, you can call his bluff simply by reading his consecutive texts. But yeah, one thing is consistent, his Facebook and IRI accounts getting hacked :D

He...
more...

even created a post that I, Saptarshi, and Piyush hacked his Facebook or something and that he is blocking us. The audacity.

Please don't give him more ideas, Aditya sir. We might soon get a flock of politicians creating IRI accounts and schooling our beloved time table manager for flaws in his time tables :P

You missed a lot of fun, Tapan. From downright vilifying VBs a few days ago, people have started wars over whose route is more deserving for a VB. How fast the night changes.

In the blind race of PR, government has forgotten that we're not yet a 'developed' country. And being a country with diverse demographics, the need for trains is diverse, too. But as the saying goes, यथा राजा तथा प्रजा, even people have forgotten their route's actual needs and started to fight over who needs more VBs.
...
more...

While the Kanpur Shatabdi was top earner of NCR, it wasn't setting occupancy charts on fire in off seasons even back then. With a parade of VBs between Kanpur and Delhi, it's occupancy has dwindled further. But it has a different role to play. This Shatabdi along with Lucknow Swarn Shatabdi cater to the intermediate stations, mainly Etawah and Ghaziabad.

You've to see the crowds during the arrival of this Shatabdi at these stations, it's almost similar to that of Gomati's. So yeah, while I think that the original post may not have been ill-intended, suggesting a train should be permanent canceled based just on vacant seats from the source station is not a brilliant idea per se. Let the passengers have the choice, everything has a different purpose.

I've been traveling in VB since it's inception half a decade ago, and even I'm intrigued by the VB 2.0 rake, saffron rake, 20C rake, 8C rake. So it's not a far fetched idea that new travelers will be excited just to experience this new tech. And just because we can manufacture trainsets now, it's not at all necessary that we phase out everything that's not a trainset.

Yeah, exactly my point. A Shatabdi between a same set of stations as a VB may be catering to a different set of passengers, despite being a premium train itself. If the concern is about occupancy, give additional halts at the bigger cities enroute.

There are routes where no matter how many premium trains you run, they will run highly patronized. Why not give people an option of different categories of trains with a diverse fare bracket. Let people have that choice, it will only boost up the occupancies with more people...
more...

considering the premium options.

Now I see you also said the same thing :P

It's simple, you can keep running erstwhile highly successful older services with a slightly lower occupancy, because chances are that people will come to them eventually due to the 'legacy'. But introducing new premium services on routes where even ICEs are struggling to get passengers is a recipe for disaster.

And ironically, these services are the ones utilizing most of the resources. 20C rake for the NGP-SC, two rakes for the TATA-BAM. And planning for a third rake to extend the MTC-LKO to Varanasi.