Over 330 officials travelled on luxury trains in 12 years under Railway Pass Rules: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) A total of 336 railway officials travelled on Indian Railways' luxury trains, such as Palace on Wheels, Maharajas' Express and Deccan Odyssey, over the last 12 years by utilising their travel passes, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. However, the minister did not reveal the names and designations of these officials, as sought by DMK MP V.S. Matheswaran. The Railway Ministry, through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), operates three luxury trains -- Palace on Wheels, Maharajas' Express and Deccan Odyssey -- whose fares range from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 26 lakh per person, depending on the itinerary. Matheswaran wanted to know the "details of railway officials, including their names, designations and class of travel, who availed complimentary travel on luxury trains like Palace on Wheels, Maharajas' Express and Deccan Odyssey from 2014 till date, year-wise." In a written reply, Vaishnaw said that railway officials are entitled to travel on Indian Railways trains with their families in accordance with the Railway Pass Rules. He stated that out of a total of 12,278 passengers who travelled on the Palace on Wheels over the last 12 years, 155 were railway officials, accounting for 1.26 per cent of the total. The Railway minister added that on the Maharajas' Express, 145 railway officials travelled out of 11,522 total passengers, also accounting for 1.26 per cent. Similarly, on the Deccan Odyssey, 36 railway officials travelled out of 8,106 passengers over the same period, representing 0.44 per cent of the total, Vaishnaw added. PTI JP NB NB