Central Railway witnesses rise in passengers, revenue

Mumbai: As the number of services were increased on Central Railway (CR), there was a hike in the number passengers as well between April 1 and August 18, 2018, in comparison to the corresponding period of 2017, said railway sources. 57.04 crore passengers travelled between April 1 and August 18, 2018, registering a hike of around 53 lakh passengers in comparison to the 56.51 crore passengers in 2017.

The earnings through suburban ticket sale were recorded at Rs 424 crore till August 18, 2018,  from April 1, 2018, while during the previous year, corresponding period Rs 416 crore were made through ticket sale. The CR witnessed a hike Rs 8 crore in earnings this year.       

A senior CR official, requesting anonymity, said that the passengers have increased due to the extension of the suburban services to Goregaon from Andheri on the Harbour line. In addition to this, due to floods on Western Railway in July, the passengers have preferred CR’s harbour line.      

Besides, the increase in numbers of suburban services from 1,660 to 1,732 has contributed to increase number of passengers as well as revenue. In March 2018, the CR had extended 49 services between Chattrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus  Goregaon.  

At present, the CR carries 42 lakh passengers everyday, while the Western Railways (WR) ferries 36 lakh commuters. Approximately, 78 lakh passengers use suburban services everyday in Mumbai.

According to the Indian Railways, the average earning of suburban services is six rupees from each commuter if he or she is a bonafide commuter. While the suburban railways ferries one-third of the commuting traffic of the whole railways, the suburban section contributes three per cent of the total earnings of the railways.