Indian Railways logged a revenue of Rs 12,159.35 crore from ticket sales during the festive period that stretched from Sept. 1, 2024 to Oct. 31, 2024, as per the data shared with the Parliament on Wednesday.
The two-month period was marked by festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, and Diwali, which usually witnesses a spurt in passengers travelling through the railways.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the data on revenue from ticket sales while responding to a query in the Lok Sabha. The minister was also asked on the amount earned by the rail body from ticket cancellations.
Responding to the specific question, he stated, "The amount credited on account of cancellation of tickets by passengers is not maintained separately."
The statement issued by Vaishnaw also listed the zone-wise passenger travel data for the period between Sept. 1 and Nov. 10.
The statement showed that a total of 143.71 crore passengers used the railways between Sept. 1 and Nov. 10. The maximum footfall was recorded in the central zone, at 31.63 crore. The south-east central zone recorded the lowest passenger count at 1.48 crore.
The western zone secured the second position with 26.13 crore passengers, followed by the eastern zone with 24.67 crore passengers.
The Indian Railways has announced as many as 7,983 trips extra special trains between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11 to handle the festive rush. The new trains were aimed at facilitating the movement of over two lakh extra passengers daily.
Last year, over 4,500 special trains were run during Diwali and Chhath Puja to meet the surge in passengers during the festive period, according to a PTI report. The government decided to enhance the services this year after considering the footfall recorded last year, railway officials quoted by the news agency said.
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