Source: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/indian-railways-achieves-remarkable-inr-148-06-million-in-revenue-amid-unstoppable-festive-travel-surge/
Publisher: Travel and Tour World
Indian Railways achieves a remarkable INR 148.06 million in revenue amid a record-breaking festive travel surge, reflecting booming passenger demand this season.
Indian Railways generated a record INR 12,159.35 crore($148.06 million) in ticket sales during the festive season from September 1 to October 31, 2024, according to data presented in Parliament. This two-month period saw a surge in passenger travel due to major festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, and Diwali.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided detailed zone-wise data on ticket sales in response to a Lok Sabha inquiry. His report revealed that 143.71 crore passengers traveled on the railways between September 1 and November 10. The central zone led in passenger numbers with 31.63 crore, followed by the western zone with 26.13 crore and the eastern zone with 24.67 crore. The southeast central zone recorded the lowest traffic at 1.48 crore passengers.
To handle the increased travel demand during the festival season, Indian Railways introduced 7,663 additional special train services between October 1 and November 30, a 73% rise from the previous year, when 4,429 extra trains were added.
During the Diwali and Chhath celebrations from October 24 to November 4, the railways carried 957.24 lakh non-suburban passengers, a rise of 33.91 lakh passengers compared to 923.33 lakh during the same period in 2023. On November 4 alone, a record 1.2 crore passengers used the rail network, including 19.43 lakh reserved and over 1 crore unreserved non-suburban travelers.
To accommodate this spike, 207 special trains were deployed on November 3, and 203 on November 4. The growing number of passengers reflects not only the festive rush but also a higher level of economic activity, with more people moving from rural to urban areas for employment and traveling back to their hometowns for festivals.
