Rail traffic up by 5.2 % compared to previous year

New Delhi: About 673 crore passengers took train journeys in 2023-24, which is about 5.2 per cent more than the previous financial year, according to the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Monday.

The revenue-earning freight in FY24, excluding the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, also witnessed an increase of 5.3 per cent from the previous year, the survey showed. “Passenger traffic originating in IR (Indian Railways) was 673 crore in FY24 (provisional actuals), increasing by about 5.2 per cent compared to the previous year,” the survey said. It said the railways carried 158.8 crore tonnes of revenue-earning freight in FY24.

“The freight loadings of the railways achieved CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 7.1 per cent from FY20 to FY24, with the special emphasis on capacity addition, new rolling stock and improving operational efficiencies,” it said. The survey said the Indian Railways (IR) hosts many services to enhance user experience, efficiently manage the train system and build capacity for a ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“To upgrade the passenger experience, railways have introduced Wi-Fi facilities at 6,108 stations, bridging the digital divide between rural and urban citizens,” the survey said. It added, “Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) online ticketing system has emerged as one of the largest e-commerce websites in the country and Asia Pacific, and it is easily accessible through the website, mobile app, and IRCTC authorised agents.”