Lok Sabha Question No. 1975 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: Decreased Ridership in Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Rahul Gandhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1975 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026

## DECREASED RIDERSHIP IN RAILWAYS

## 1975. SHRI RAHUL GANDHI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  ridership  in  the  Railways  has decreased over Thirteen  per  cent  during  the  last  ten  years  while  the population  has  increased  by  approximately  Ten  per  cent  during  the same period;
- (b) whether it is a fact that fares have been increased significantly during the last ten years and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the total number of passenger coaches operational, their average daily deployment and the average daily occupancy, by category (AC, Sleeper and General etc.) during the last ten years, year-wise;
- (d)  whether the  Government proposes to implement dynamic fares for all AC trains and if so, the details and the rationale/timelines thereof;
- (e)  the details of the reasons for not restoring senior citizen concessions that were discontinued during the Covid pandemic despite full
- normalisation of passenger services; and
- (f) whether the Government  believes that increased fares, reduced availability of non-AC coaches and reduced concessions has contributed to falling ridership and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (f):  During  last  11  years  (2014-2025),  unprecedented  infrastructure creation/augmentation works have been carried out in all transport sectors in the  country.  Progress  achieved  during  this  period under  the  key infrastructure sectors are as under:

| Infrastructure Sector   | Progress since 2014                                                                                             |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| National Highways       | About 58,232 km long National Highways/Expressways has been added in the National Highways/Expressways network. |
| Railways                | About 35,000 kms new railway tracks have been added.                                                            |
| Airports                | 90 nos. operational airports have been added.                                                                   |
| Metro                   | 848 km length and 21 more cities have been added in the Metro network.                                          |

Therefore, modal distribution is also changing accordingly to the change in infrastructure growth.

The fares of Indian Railways are among the lowest in comparison to other countries in the world.

A comparison of the Indian Railway passenger fares (ordinary class) with the fares of the similar segment of services of the neighbouring countries is as under:

| Country    | Approx lowest fare per PKM   | Comparison with India   |
|------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|
| India      | ~ ₹ 0.20                     |                         |
| Pakistan   | ~ ₹ 0.54                     | ~ 2.5x higher           |
| Bangladesh | ~ ₹ 0.37                     | ~ 1.5x higher           |
| Sri Lanka  | ~ ₹ 0.5                      | ~ 2.5x higher           |

Passenger  fare  in  Vande  Bharat  (Semi  High-speed  train)  when  compared with the near similar segment of services in Chair Car (AC) for a journey of around 300-400 km is as under:

| Country   | Average approx fare per PKM   | Comparison with India   |
|-----------|-------------------------------|-------------------------|
| India     | ~ ₹ 2.19                      |                         |
| China     | ~ ₹ 7                         | ~ 3x higher             |
| Japan     | ~ ₹ 20                        | ~ 9x higher             |
| France    | ~ ₹ 13                        | ~ 6x higher             |

Note:  Comparison  of  fares  in  above  tables  is  based  on  information  as available in public domain.

There is no plan to implement dynamic fares in Vande Bharat Chair Car or Vande Bharat Sleeper trains.

Indian Railways gave subsidy of Rs. 60,466 crore on passenger tickets in 2023-24.  This  amounts  to  concession  of  45%  on  an  average,  to  every person,  travelling  on  Railways.  In  other  words,  if  the  cost  of  providing service is Rs. 100, then the price of ticket is Rs. 55 only. This subsidy is continuing  for  all  passengers.  Further,  concessions  beyond  this  subsidy amount  are  continuing  for  many  categories  like  4  categories  of  Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students.

## New design Trainsets:

Indian Railways is focused on providing affordable, good quality services to all  sections  of  society.  IR  have  developed  and  introduced    the  following trains:

## 1.

## Vande Bharat services (Chair Car):

Indian Railways, with a view to improve travel experience of the passengers,  have  introduced  indigenously  designed  and  manufactured Vande Bharat trains with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger  amenities.  These  new  Vande  Bharat  Trains  (Chair  Car)  have following features:

- (a)
- (b)
- Fitted with KAVACH.
- Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers.
- (c) Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.
- (d)
- Emergency  Alarm  Push  buttons  and  Talk  Back  Units  on  all Coaches.
- (e) Improved fire safety -Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
- (f) Higher acceleration with design/operating speed  of 180/160 KMPH.
- (g) Driver-Guard communication with voice recording facility &Crash hardened memory.
- (h) Air conditioning units with indigenously developed UV-C lampbased disinfection system.
- (i) Better Ride Comfort.
- (j)
- CCTVs in all Coaches.
- (k) For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches
- on each end.
- (l) Coach condition monitoring System (CCMS) display with remote monitoring.

Presently, 164 Vande Bharat train services (Chair Car) are being operated on the Indian Railways network.

## 2. Vande Bharat Sleeper Service:

To improve travel experience of the long journey passengers and set new benchmarks  in  terms  of  safe  and  comfortable  journey,  Vande  Bharat Sleeper trains are provided with modern coaches having advanced safety features and passenger amenities like:

- (a) Jerk-Free Semi permanent couplers and Anti Climbers
- (b) Fitted with KAVACH.
- (c) Higher acceleration with design/operating speed  of KMPH.
- 180/160
- (d) Crashworthy Design of Car body complying with EN standards.
- (e) Fire barrier doors at the end of each coach for compliance of fire safety standards.
- (f) Improved fire safety -Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
- (g)
- Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.
- (h) Air conditioning units provided with indigenously developed UV-C lamp-based  disinfection  system  for  deactivating  99  %  harmful bacteria  from  conditioned  air  to  improve  the  hygiene  standards inside the passenger area.
- (i) Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.
- (j)
- CCTVs in all coaches.
- (k) Emergency talk-back unit for communication between Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency.
- (l) For Divyangjan passengers, special lavatory in the driving
- coaches on each end.
- (m) Centralized Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring  of  passenger  amenities  such  as  Air  conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc.
- (n) Ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing on to upper berths.

Presently,  02  Vande  Bharat  Sleeper  services  are  being  operated  on  the Indian Railways network.

## 3. Amrit Bharat service:

To  provide  affordable  means  of  transportation  to  the  low  and  middle income  families,  Indian  Railways  have  introduced  Amrit  Bharat  services that  are  fully  non-AC  modern  trains.  The  present  composition  of  Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.

Increased speed and enhanced safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities:

- (a) Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper.
- (b) Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers.
- (c) Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube.
- (d) Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room.
- (e) Improved designs of toilets.
- (f) Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth.
- (g) Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets.
- (h)
- Provision of EP assisted braking system.
- (i) Aerosol  based  fire  suppression  system  in  toilets  and  electrical cubicles.
- (j) USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets.
- (k) Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager.
- (l)
- Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity.
- (m) Fully  sealed  gangways  with  quick  release  mechanism  for  easy
- attachment and detachment.

Presently,  54  Amrit  Bharat  Express  services  are  being  operated  on  the Indian Railways network.

## 4. Namo Bharat Rapid Rail service

Indian Railways have introduced Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services. These services are aimed to enhance the travel experience to the suburban and regional  commuters  for  short  distance  travel.  The  prominent  features  of Namo Bharat Rapid Rail are as follows:

- (a) Centrally controlled Double Leaf Automatic Sliding Doors.
- (b) CCTVs for safety and passenger surveillance.
- (c) Modular interior with Cushioned Seats and Sealed Flexible Gangway.
- (d) Emergency Talk System.
- (e) Continuous LED lighting with Energy Efficient Lighting system.
- (f) FRP Modular Toilets with vacuum evacuation.
- (g) Fully Air-Conditioned trains with Driver cab AC.

Presently, 4 Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services are in operation.

## Special trains

IR  also  operates  Special  train  services  during  festivals,  holidays,  etc.  to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services.

Accordingly,  the  number  of  Special  trains  operated  across  the  Indian Railways  network,  to  facilitate  the  passengers  during  Summer/winter vacations, festivals like Holi,  Durga  Puja,  Diwali,  Chhath,  Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc.  are as below:

| Year    | No. special train trips   |
|---------|---------------------------|
| 2023-24 | ~40,500                   |
| 2024-25 | ~85,400                   |

Non-AC coaches (General and sleeper coaches)

With  a  view  to  meet  the  demand  of  passengers  travelling  in  unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding  general  class  travel.  During  the  last  financial  year  2024-25 alone,  1250  general  coaches  have  been  utilised  in  various  long-distance trains.  In  the  current  financial  year  (upto  December  2025),  767  Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation.

To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years.

On IR, the percentage of non-AC coaches, is about 70% as indicated below:

## Table 1: Distribution of coaches:

| Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper)   | ~57,200   | ~70%   |
|----------------------------------------|-----------|--------|
| AC coaches                             | ~25,000   | ~30%   |
| Total coaches                          | ~82,200   | 100%   |

The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows:

## Table 2: Distribution of seats:

| Non-AC seats   | ~ 54 lakhs   | ~ 78%   |
|----------------|--------------|---------|
| AC seats       | ~ 15 lakhs   | ~ 22%   |
| Total          | ~ 69 lakhs   | 100%    |

Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved nonAC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services.

Overall, the passenger patronage of Indian Railways is showing steady and rapid growth trend, with consistent increase recorded during as under:

| Year    | % growth w.r.t previous year                   |
|---------|------------------------------------------------|
| 2022-23 | ~ 82% (previous year 2021-22 being Covid year) |
| 2023-24 | ~8%                                            |
| 2024-25 | ~6%                                            |

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