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The Metro Railway Kolkata registered its highest-ever daily passenger count of 9.82 lakh on September 27, an official said. The previous record of highest daily passenger count was recorded on October 9 last year at 9.61 lakh, he said. An estimated 9.82 lakh passengers travelled on different corridors (of the Metro Railway) on Panchami', September 27, the official said in a statement. A total of 7.43 lakh passengers travelled on the Blue Line' stretch, while the Green Line' carried 2.21 lakh commuters on September 27, it said. The statement said Metro Railway has made elaborate arrangements to operate night-long services on the Blue Line' and Green Line' during Durga Puja festivities on Saptami' (September 29), Astami' (September 30) and Navami' (October 1) this year. There will be deployment of additional officers, staff and security personnel to ensure hassle-free commuting of lakhs of commuters, it added.
The Indian Railways provisionally spent Rs 60,466 crore in subsidy, 45 per cent of the cost of passenger travel, in the financial year 2023-24, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave the information in response to the questions raised by several MPs on the recent rail fare hike. Vaishnaw said the Indian Railways provides affordable transportation service to more than 720 crore passengers and its fares are among the lowest in the world, even when compared with neighbouring countries. "The total amount of subsidy given in FY 2023-24 on passenger travel is provisionally estimated at Rs. 60,466 Crore. This amounts to a 45% subsidy on the cost of passenger travel," Vaishnaw informed the lower house in a written reply. He said the rail fares were "rationalized" with effect from July 1 this year after a gap of more than five years. "The increase in fares is very low, ranging from half paise per km to two paise per km for premium classes," h
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) prosecuted 304 men for travelling in women-only train coaches in the Eastern Railway zone in a six-day drive as part of 'Operation Mahila Suraksha', an official said on Tuesday. The initiative, spearheaded by the RPF, focuses on protecting women passengers and ensuring their right to travel without fear or intimidation, he said. The ER official said that between December 15 and 20, an intensive drive across Howrah, Sealdah, Malda and Asansol divisions of Eastern Railway led to the apprehension and prosecution of 304 men under the provisions of the Railway Act for unauthorised travel in women-only coaches. With an aim to create secure spaces for women public transport, 'Operation Mahila Suraksha' (women's safety) has been implemented with steadfast determination, he said. "Passengers are encouraged to join this effort by reporting suspicious activities through the RPF helpline 139 or contacting railway officials," he said.
Railways revenues from passenger services during the festive months of September and October in 2024 was Rs 12,159.35 crore, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday. TMC MP Mala Roy raised queries regarding the earnings of Railways through ticket sale and cancellation during festive months. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that from September 1 to October 31, 2024, passenger revenue of the Indian Railways is Rs 12,159.35 crore. Amount credited on account of cancellation of tickets by passengers is not maintained separately, Vaishnaw said. The minister also gave zone-wise data of number of passengers travelled during the period from September 1 to November 10, 2024, according to which, total 143.71 crore people took train journey between the said period and the highest number of travel among all zones was from the Central Railway Zone, ie, 31.63 crore. Further, to cater to the demand during festive season, Indian Railways notified 7,983 trips of
Days after a stampede at the Bandra Terminus here, the Western Railway has said a penalty will be imposed if the luggage of passengers exceeds the permissible limit for their respective travel class and urged people not to overcrowd stations. Each passenger is permitted to carry a certain amount of luggage without charge, but items such as scooters and bicycles, as well as consignments exceeding dimensions of 100 cm x 100 cm x 70 cm do not qualify for the free allowance, the WR said in a release on Tuesday. "Western Railway urges all passengers to avoid overcrowding at stations and to enter premises only as necessary, in accordance with train schedules, while adhering to the established luggage limits," the release stated. The step has taken to reduce congestion on platforms and facilitate smoother movement for passengers within the station premises, it said. The Western Railway has appealed to all passengers to follow the rules pertaining to carrying the maximum limit of free ...
The Railway Board has asked all 17 zones to take action against officials who cause inconvenience to passengers by not feeding any data or by providing incorrect data in the passenger information system on the status of trains. The board has also directed the zones to integrate various passenger information display boards installed at stations with the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) to bring consistency and ensure correct and reliable display of train information. The NTES website provides real-time train running status and coach composition among other information. Besides this, train indicator boards installed on platforms display train numbers, their names and running status. Passengers can also locate the coach position of the arriving trains through the coach guidance system on the platforms. The Railway Board, in its letter to the zones dated September 27, stated that passenger information systems like coach guidance systems and train indicators boards at rail stations a
The Delhi Metro on August 13 registered the highest-ever count of daily passenger journeys at 72.38 lakh, officials said. The urban transporter shared the data in a post on X on Wednesday, saying it has surpassed its previous milestone accomplished in February this year. A total of 72,38,271 passengers travelled on August 13. The count of daily passenger journeys in the Delhi Metro had stood at 71.09 lakh on February 13, 71.07 lakh on August 12, 71.04 lakh on September 4, 2023, and 70.88 lakh on February 12, the data showed. Journey or line utilisation is calculated by the number of corridors passengers use to reach their destinations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's current network span is nearly 393 km with 2888 stations (including the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor and Rapid Metro, Gurugram). "The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has recorded its highest-ever passenger journeys on Tuesday (August 13) with 72.38 lakh passenger journeys being performed across the networ
The policy for Digi Yatra -- a digital platform to verify air travellers using biometric data -- needs to spell out all the rules related to deletion of passenger information from the database once the travel is complete, according to a study instituted by NITI Aayog. There have been privacy concerns in various quarters about Digi Yatra user data. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless and seamless movement of passengers at various checkpoints at airports. As per the policy for Digi Yatra, facial biometrics are deleted from the local airport's database 24 hours after the departure of the passenger's flight. "However, the rules related to deletion of other information collected from the passengers, as well as any facial biometrics that are stored in other registries, must be clearly set out in the policy," the study said. Digi Yatra envisages an identity management ecosystem for Indian airports, which can enhance the capabilities of Indian
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) an initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has launched ticketing services for passengers traveling on the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd in the city. Chennai Metro Rail has become the first metro service to be available on the ONDC Network. Following the launch of the service in Chennai, ONDC in a statement here said, the Kochi Metro, Kanpur Metro, Pune Metro, and other metro rail services are poised to join the network. Passengers travelling on the Chennai Metro Rail can purchase 'single' or 'return' journey tickets through the applications -- 'Rapido', 'Namma Yatri', 'redBus' which are currently available on the ONDC network. The overall ticketing experience on the ONDC network was enabled by CMRL partnering with 'Yaary', the first seller-side technology partner, the release said. "At ONDC, we believe in embracing innovation. As Chennai Metro joins the Open Network, it is not just a milestone but rather
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday demanded that the railways give more attention to the safety and security of travellers and roll back the dynamic pricing of train tickets. Banerjee, a former Railway minister alleged that train fares were sometimes higher than flight tickets. "Sad to find that railway passenger fares are steeply increasing and even in Suvidha trains the fares are sometimes higher than air fares!! Where will common people go in case of emergencies?!, she posted on X handle. "Fare hike must be curbed and reduced! And attention must be given to safety and security issues," she said. Talking on the number of rising railway accidents in the country, Banerjee also questioned why the anti-collusion devices and other anti-accident measures which she had introduced during her tenure as Railway Minister, were not used to keep a check on mishaps. "During my tenure as Railways Minister, I had introduced anti-collusion devices and other anti-accident measur