According to the Indian Railways response to an RTI query, 40% seats went empty on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad train route in the three-month period (July 1 to September 30), amounting to a loss of Rs 29.91 crore (Rs 10 crore loss per month), reported NDTV.
Image source: Indian Express Article Source: thelogicalindian.com
This was the route chosen by the Prime Minister Modi-led government to build the country’s first bullet train project with the help of Japan. It will cost India Rs 1,10,000 crore.
The RTI was filed by Mumbai-based activist Anil Galgali. Thirty-two Mail and Express trains between Mumbai to Ahmedabad have been incurring a loss of Rs 14 crore and 31 trains from Mumbai to Ahmedabad have made losses of Rs 15 crore.
“The Indian government is over-enthusiastic and plans to spend more than Rs 1 lakh crore on the Bullet Train project, but it has not done its homework properly,” Galgali said, reported Business Standard.
Even the most preferred train on the route, 12009 Shatabdi – a chair car, also managed to sell only half of its seats over the last three months, according to the Ahmedabad division.
The data showed that the maximum passengers are travelling sleeper class seats, while many upper-class seats are going vacant. The Indian Railways have admitted that they have no plans to introduce any new trains on this sector which is already red.
