Western Railway is facing a Rs. 5,000 crore loss: Details
What's the story
The Western Railway is facing an annual revenue loss of about Rs. 5,000 crore due to the COVID-19 crisis which affected services and led to a drop in the number of train travelers, a senior official from Western Railway has said.
Western Railway's General Manager Alok Kansal said that many people are still reluctant to travel by train due to fear of the coronavirus.
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Some trains running on only ten percent occupancy
On Tuesday, Kansal said, "We are incurring an annual revenue loss of Rs. 5,000 crore in coaching trains (passenger trains) segment due to the COVID-19 crisis. Among the trains being currently operated by the Western Railway, some are running with only ten percent occupancy."
Passenger trains
300 passenger trains used to operate before the COVID-19 outbreak
Kansal said, "Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the Western Railway used to run about 300 passenger trains. But, the government stopped passenger trains across the country in March last year to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
He said that the operation of passenger trains is now coming back on track and this is expected to improve the Western Railway's revenue.
Restarted passenger trains
145 passenger trains restarted, six more to restart in MP
Talking to reporters at the Indore District of Madhya Pradesh, Kansal said, "During the last 11 months, the Western Railway has gradually restarted 145 out of its 300 passenger trains, about 50 percent of our passenger trains have been resumed."
"In the next seven days, the WR is going to restart six more passenger trains in Madhya Pradesh," he added.
Shramik Special Trains
Western Railway ran 1,234 Shramik Special trains during COVID-19 lockdown
Kansal clarified that the Western Railway is currently running its passenger trains as special trains in view of the COVID-19 guidelines, and only those passengers who have a reserved ticket can travel.
"During the lockdown last year, the Western Railway ran 1,234 Shramik Special trains from May 1 to 31 to ferry about 19 lakh people to their destinations in different states," he added.