Indian Railways is a vast network of rail that runs throughout the city. The revenue generated each year is in crores. As per recent information through RTI, the Indian Railways has earned additional revenue of more than ₹2,800 crores in the last 7 years. This has been possible due to the changes they made in the revenue system.
Indian Railways Revenue Was More Than ₹2,800 Crores!
In the last seven years, travellers have brought in additional funds totalling more than ₹2,800 crore for Indian Railways. According to the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) response provided in response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act request, the 2022–23 fiscal year was the railways’ most successful year. In fact, they witnessed earnings of ₹560 crores, thanks to the new regulations. The primary cause of increasing revenue, according to Railways, is an increase in children’s fares.
In fact, the ministry had stated on March 31, 2016, that if children aged 5 to 12 choose separate berths or seats in the reserved carriage, the Railways will charge the full adult cost. The updated standards went into effect on April 21, 2016. In the past, they were given separate berths and only paid half the fare.
Although children in the previous age range are permitted to fly for half price under the updated regulations, they do not receive separate berths or seats and must instead take the seat of the adult they are travelling with.
Around 3.6 Crore Of Children Have Travelled By Trains
From the fiscal years 2016–17 to 2022–23, CRIS has published year-by-year data in tabular form based on fare options for two types of children. According to data, around 3.6 crore youngsters travelled at half price during these seven years without selecting a reserved seat or coach. However, more than 10 billion youngsters choose a separate berth or seat with full payment.
According to the responses, almost 70 per cent of all youngsters commuting by train choose to occupy a berth or seat by paying the entire cost, the author noted. Sharing a berth or seat with an adult or child is difficult when travelling over long distances. The Railways have benefited greatly from the change in regulations. The statistics also demonstrated that the pandemic had put a stop to train traffic.
Also Read: Indian Railways Has Collected Fine Of ₹11,456 Cr From Passengers In Last 10 FYs!
The year 2020–21 was therefore the least profitable due to the changed regulations because just ₹157 crore could be made.
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