An RTI reply has revealed that 40% of the overall seats were empty between July and August this year
If the Western Railway's commercial department is to be believed, it seems people are not keen on travelling by train on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. According to an RTI reply, 40 per cent of the overall seats have remained empty between July and September this year, leading to a revenue loss of nearly Rs 30 crore for the railways.
Pic for representation
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Social activist Anil Galgali had filed an RTI query seeking details regarding the seat occupancy on all trains running on the route. He had even questioned the viability of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. As per the information revealed by the commercial department, the 32 trains that run from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, have a total of 7,35,630 seats. Of these, only 4,41,795 seats were booked, generating a revenue of Rs 30.16 crore, as against the total expected revenue of Rs 44.29 crore. In just three months, a loss of Rs 14.12 crore was incurred.
Similarly, a total of 3,98,002 passengers travelled from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, as compared to the 7,06,446 available seats. The total revenue generated was Rs 26.74 crore, as against the expected amount of Rs 42.53 crore. This led to a loss of Rs 15.78 crore.
The information has further revealed that Shatabdi Express is the most popular among passengers on this route for its chair car service. However, the highest demand is for sleeper class seats.
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