Mumbai's Western Railway Earnings On The Rise, But There Is A Catch

Mumbai: The Western Railway saw a 275 per cent rise in cases of ticketless travel in its air-conditioned (AC) local trains while the ridership surged by 191 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal as compared to the same period in the previous financial year. According to the official data, 19,618 instances of ticketless travel were detected in the first quarter compared to 7,001 cases detected in the same period last fiscal. The collection of penalties, too, increased from Rs23.35 lakh to Rs65.24 lakh in the first quarter of the current financial year.

200 per cent increased earnings from AC local services

“On a daily basis, an average of 99,802 passengers utilised AC local trains during the first quarter of the current financial year, compared to the daily average ridership of 34,302 in the previous year. This surge can be attributed to the reduction in fares implemented in May 2022,” said an official.

The earnings from AC local services also witnessed a substantial boost, registering a 200 per cent increase during the first quarter of this fiscal. The daily average earnings rose to Rs47.11 lakh compared to Rs15.71 lakh during the same period last year. “To encourage more passengers to choose the AC local trains, the railway introduced a fare adjustment system for first-class season ticket holders. This system allows first class passengers to upgrade their passes to AC services by paying the fare difference for the entire ticket validity period,” said a senior rail official.

The WR operates 79 AC services with six rakes on its suburban section.

Pointers:

Rise in ticketless travel in 1^st quarter of this fiscal 

275%

Rise in ridership

191%

Rise in earnings

200%

Previous year's data

No. of ticketless travel cases

7,001

Average daily ridership

34,302

Average daily earnings

Rs15.71 lakh