Starting Friday, surge pricing will be introduced for train tickets with prices rising 10% for every 10% of tickets sold - so as fewer seats are left available, passengers will pay more. The new rules will apply to high-speed and much-in-demand trains like the RAjdhani and Shatabdi and Duronto. "The flexi fare system is applicable from September 9 (Friday)," said Mohd Jamshed, a senior board member of the Indian Railways, to news agency ANI.

The fares in the more expensive coaches of Executive Class and 1AC (first AC) will not change. In other sections like Second-AC and the Chair Car, the maximum a ticket can cost is 1.5 times the base fare. For Third-AC, the hike cannot cross 40% of the ticket price. If, because of surge pricing, a lower class seat costs more than a fancier coach, the passenger will be informed so that he can choose to upgrade. The ministry said passengers who have already booked tickets at pre-revision rates will not have to pay more. There are a total of 42 Rajdhani trains, 46 Shatabdi and 54 Duronto trains.