Indian railways revenue in 2019 to 2021: Here's how much it generated from sale of tickets, platform tickets

New Delhi: The losses incurred by the Indian Railways due to fare concessions given to passengers have been reduced to Rs 38 crore in 2020-21 from Rs 2,059 crore in 2019-2020, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament.

How the Losses were Reduced?
The subsidies, except for patients and students, were suspended due to the Covid pandemic which cut the losses to the Railways, which has restored many of its pre-Covid services which were halted because of the pandemic.

The concessions, including the ones for senior citizens, are yet to be restored.

Railways Revenue Less than Operating Cost
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said passenger fare is highly subsidised and the revenue generated from it is less than the national transporter's operating cost.

"Revenue foregone due to concessions on passenger fare to various categories of passengers during the financial year 2019-20 and 2020-21 is Rs 2,059 crore and Rs 38 crore respectively," he informed the House.

The railway concessions have been a hotly-discussed topic even as multiple committees had recommended the withdrawal of concessions in the past. The Centre in July 2016 made concession for the elderly optional while booking tickets.

Indian Railways Revenue from Tickets
From the sale of passenger tickets, the Railways generated 50,669.09 crore revenue in 2019-2020 and it dropped to Rs 15,248.49 crore in the following year hit by Covid-19. Till September this year, the amount generated from passenger fare is Rs 15,434.18 crore, the Railways Minister said.

It has to be noted that trains were run as specials with marginally higher prices and it was withdrawn only last month. The ministry also increased the prices of platform tickets during the Covid crisis and it was withdrawn last month by the zonal railways.

"Ministry of Railways has delegated powers to Zonal Railways in March 2015 to increase the rate of platform tickets beyond Rs 10 to regulate rush in platforms during specific occasions like mela etc. Accordingly, Railways exercise these powers as per their requirements," Vaishnaw said.

Railways Earnings from Platform Tickets
The Railways generated Rs 160.87 crore from the sale of platform tickets in 2019-20 and in the Covid-19 year, it stood at Rs 15.48 crore. Till September, it has raked in Rs 60.79 crore, Vaishnaw said in the parliament. With inputs from PTI