If the Railways minister does not want upper-class travellers to stage a huge exodus to the airlines the moment he jacks up fares, he will have to pay far greater attention to a) easier ticket reservation, b) greater punctuality of train services, c) safety of passengers on trains as well as at stations, d) clean toilets, e) quality of dining services (which is abysmal on all trains except the Shatabdis and Rajdhanis, and f) integrating railway services with those of hotel and tour operators. The days of treating well-off passengers as helpless milch cows are long over!
