10 L fail to travel daily due to non-availability of rail

Highlighting the demand-supply "mismatch" on long distance trains, a study by RailYatri.In has stated that over 10 lakh people fail to travel daily due to non-availability of tickets.
The RailYatri.In, which has been tracking the booking pattern of train tickets since January this year across the country, said that nearly 10-12 lakh people are unable to travel on a daily basis as their tickets are not confirmed.
This would translate to nearly 13 per cent of long distance train travellers daily. In the peak travel season, the figure increases to about 19 per cent, it said.
The portal has analysed the travel plans of over 30 lakh people from over 3,100 railway stations looking for seats in nearly 2,800 trains as part of the study.

"While we were always aware of the demand-supply mismatch in train travel, the scale of surplus demand as brought out by this study has been an eye opener for us," says Manish Rathi, CEO of RailYatri.In.
However, a Railway spokesperson said, "The study does not appear to be based on complete facts. It has not taken into account various sectoral and seasonal variations. The figures are a bit exaggerated."
RailYatri maintains that despite an increase in several transport options, trains continue to be the most-preferred mode for long-distance travel.
"However, this would require hundreds of more trains to run every day. Considering the already overloaded network, the chances of a substantial number of more trains being added in the near future is difficult," Rathi added.