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Railways suffered losses worth ₹36,000 crore during pandemic: Minister
Danve assured that tracks will be doubled between Nanded and Manmad and said he would check if the Jalna-Khamgaon railway line would be viable or not.
Union minister Raosaheb Danve on Sunday said the Indian Railways suffered losses to the tune of ₹36,000 crore during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Danve said that goods trains are the real revenue generators for the Indian Railways.
“The passenger train segment always runs into losses. Since increasing the ticket fares affects the passengers, we cannot do so. During the pandemic, the Railways suffered losses of ₹36,000 crore,” Danve was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He also highlighted that a bullet train project will be developed along the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway and is currently under construction.
He also said that the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor project which will connect Navi Mumbai to Delhi has also been undertaken. Danve assured that tracks will be doubled between Nanded and Manmad and said he would check if the Jalna-Khamgaon railway line would be viable or not.
Indian Railways last month said that it had improved its operating ratio to 97.45% owing to no concessions and tightening of expenses due to Covid-19. It also said that it has no plans to restore concessions offered to certain categories of people in ticket fares which was initially suspended due to Covid-19.
