Train ticket prices fluctuate during peak season
In the days leading up to and during the National Day holiday on September 2nd, information about high train ticket prices is of interest to many passengers. On some train ticket groups, people share that the prices of the same journey may differ significantly depending on the time of booking.
An account on the "Railway Ticket Association" group reflected: "It seems like the ticket prices have just been updated, right everyone. For the Saigon - Dieu Tri sleeper section on September 1st, I saw an increase of 200,000 VND". The post received many comments, including passengers saying that ticket prices on peak days increased significantly compared to normal times.
Meanwhile, sharing with Lao Dong, Ms. Thieu Trang (residing in Yen Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi), a regular train passenger, said that before she often chose fast trains of the SE line departing at about 7:20 pm from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa after working hours.
According to Ms. Trang, on weekdays, tickets for 4-berth rooms on the 1st or 2nd floor usually range from about 200,000 - 300,000 VND/ticket, depending on the time and type of seat.
However, when looking up tickets for this year's National Day holiday, she was quite surprised by the price.
Although choosing a 6-bed cabin, the standard is lower than the previous 4-bed cabin, the ticket price is still up to about 580,000 VND/ticket, sometimes exceeding 600,000 VND if a discount code is not applied," Ms. Trang said.
According to this passenger, compared to normal days, train fares during holidays can increase nearly double, making choosing the departure time an important factor to save costs.
On the same train, why can ticket prices still be different?
On the afternoon of August 31, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters searched for ticket prices on the official electronic ticket sales system of Vietnam Railways Corporation. The results showed that the ticket prices for the same train have a clear difference between peak hours and the end of the holiday.
Specifically, for train SE8 Thanh Hoa - Hanoi route, at the time of lookup, the ticket price for one seat class on September 1 was about 483,000 VND/ticket. Meanwhile, for the same train and similar seat class on September 3, the price was only about 236,000 VND/ticket.
Thus, the ticket price between the two times may differ by nearly 250,000 VND. This is also the reason why some passengers feel that train ticket prices have been adjusted to increase sharply when entering the holidays.
Regarding questions about the same route, same running time but different ticket prices between days, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that the railway industry currently applies a flexible ticket price policy according to the market mechanism, similar to the model of airlines.
According to this unit, ticket prices are not maintained at a fixed level for all days but may change depending on the actual needs of passengers, peak or low peak hours, weekly days and train operating hours.
On holidays, Tet or times when the number of passengers increases sharply, travel demand on some routes increases sharply. At that time, ticket prices can be adjusted according to a flexible price mechanism.
Conversely, on peak days, when there are still many empty seats on trains, the railway industry can implement preferential programs to attract passengers. According to representatives of Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, the reduction in some routes can be up to 35-40%.
The application of flexible fares is said to be aimed at distributing travel demand between days, improving the efficiency of train operations, and creating more choices for passengers.
Representatives of Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that passengers, if they can proactively schedule, can consider choosing low-pressure days or times when there are still many seats to have more suitable prices.
In the context of strong travel demand before and during the National Day holiday on September 2nd, passengers should proactively check ticket prices on the official ticket sales system, compare departure dates and choose seats that suit their needs, instead of just focusing on one fixed day.
