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Indian Railways cancelled nearly 9,000 train services this year

The Indian Railways has cancelled roughly 9,000 train services within the first six months of 2022. In the previous three months, roughly 1,900 trains were cancelled due to coal movement. According to a response to an RTI request submitted by Chandra Shekhar Gaur, the Railways halted 6,995 train services for repair or construction purposes, while 1,934 trains were cancelled owing to coal movement from March to May.

Officials stated the Railways were compelled to prioritise the passage of coal rakes above passenger services owing to a serious power deficit. They also stated that the national transporter is on track to complete 58 supercritical and 68 critical projects totalling over Rs 1,15,000 crore in the next years, adding that maintenance and construction operations are being prioritised across its network.

However, this has had a significant impact on passenger mobility around the country, particularly during the summer months. As per the RTI, the Railways cancelled 3,395 mail/express train services between January and May, while 3,600 passenger train trips were cancelled during the same time owing to maintenance or construction work.

While no train services were cancelled owing to coal transportation in January and February, 880 mail/express train services and 1,054 passenger train services were cancelled in the past three months due to coal rake prioritisation.

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Due to a scarcity of trains, a sharp increase in demand for tickets over the last few years, and a dearth of new trains, the railways are also having difficulty providing confirmed tickets to customers.

According to official estimates, more than 1.60 crore people who had purchased tickets were unable to travel in 2021-22 due to a waiting list, indicating a train scarcity on major lines. The Railways had its best-ever monthly freight loading of 131.6 million tonnes (MT) in May 2022, thanks to the prioritisation of coal rakes.

Loading of coal to power plants, both local and imported, climbed by more than 11 MT in May, with 52.4 MT transported to power plants compared to 41.01 MT last year, a 28 percent rise. Indian Railways loaded nearly 18 MT of additional coal to powerhouses in the first two months of this year, a 24 percent increase over the same period last year.

As per the estimates, the passenger sector’s demand for 2019-2020 was $8.4 billion, with an average decline of 8.9 percent on the waiting list. During peak season, 13.3 percent of travellers were unable to secure confirmed bookings.

Since the Railway Budget was integrated with the General Budget in 2016, the Railways have launched about 800 additional trains in response to passenger demand for more trains. On a daily basis, the Railways run a little more than 11,000 trains.

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