Indian Railways Logs Rs 12,159.35 Cr in Ticket Sales During Festive Period

Indian Railways earned revenue of Rs 12,159.35 crore from ticket sales during the festive season between September 1 and October 31, 2024, according to data shared by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This two-month period saw a surge in passenger traffic due to festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, and Diwali.

The minister also responded to a query regarding ticket cancellations, stating that the railways do not maintain separate records of earnings from cancellations.

The data revealed that a total of 143.71 crore passengers travelled by railways during the period between September 1 and November 10, 2024. The Central zone recorded the highest footfall with 31.63 crore passengers, while the South-East Central zone had the lowest at 1.48 crore passengers. Other zones, such as the Western zone and Eastern zone, followed with 26.13 crore and 24.67 crore passengers, respectively.

To manage the festive rush, Indian Railways introduced 7,983 additional special trains between October 1 and November 11, 2024, aimed at accommodating over two lakh extra passengers daily. This move marked a significant increase from last year, when over 4,500 special trains were operated for Diwali and Chhath Puja. The enhanced services were introduced after considering the higher footfall recorded in 2023.