* Passengers found Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto trains worthy of paying extra 15-20% of base fare which was incorporated into their basic fare. The passengers carried by these trains, the number of such trains, rake lengths, occupancy rates, revenue of these trains was increasing steadily.
* After IR brought in flexifares and jacked up the price by hefty 50% for the same mediocre service (as compared to airlines), the fast growing clientele of these premium trains came to an abrupt end. The number of paxs carried by these trains, instead of increasing steadily dropped actually. The drop in occupancy rates is steeper. Main reason being the services are grossly overpriced and people are compelled to buy flexi tickets due to lack of alternatives.