Now Reading: IRCTC launches India’s first privately branded train, Sprite Tejas Express
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IRCTC launches India’s first privately branded train, Sprite Tejas Express
IRCTC launches India’s first privately branded train, Sprite Tejas Express
The Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express has become India's first commercially branded passenger train after the IRCTC allowed Coca-Cola India's Sprite to prefix its name on the service. The train, now called the…
The Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express has become India's first commercially branded passenger train after the IRCTC allowed Coca-Cola India's Sprite to prefix its name on the service. The train, now called the Sprite Tejas Express, was flagged off from Lucknow Junction on Friday with six coaches wrapped in branding under a six-month agreement starting August 21.
The company paid approximately Rs 91 lakh for the wrapping and branding exercise, which covers train numbers 82501/82502. The branding extends to interiors, including reusable serving trays, linen and other passenger-use items. IRCTC chief regional manager Ajit Sinha said the initiative is part of efforts to develop non-fare revenue without increasing passenger fares.
The arrangement does not mean the train or railway infrastructure has been privatised. The Tejas Express will continue to operate under the existing IRCTC framework. Sinha said the experiment is being closely watched as a possible model for future commercialisation of railway assets, and if viable, IRCTC could explore similar collaborations with other companies.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Indian Railways has long struggled to generate non-fare revenue, which accounts for a small fraction of its total income compared with global peers. Branding train exteriors and interiors is a low-cost experiment: the Rs 91 lakh paid by Sprite is a fraction of the cost of operating a single Tejas rake, but the model could scale across hundreds of trains. The IRCTC is the logical agency to pilot this because it already manages catering and tourism services and has a commercial mandate separate from the Railway Board's safety and operations role. If the six-month trial succeeds, expect a formal policy for competitive bidding on train and station branding. Watch for the next quarterly IRCTC earnings call, where management may disclose interest from other fast-moving consumer goods companies.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
