Tejas Navale

Pune: The good news for Central Railway as for the consecutive three years in a row, it has topped the list of earning maximum revenue excluding fares among all segments of Indian Railways. As per the information, the Central Railway has collected a record-breaking revenue of more than Rs. 122 crore under revenue other than fares in the financial year 2023–24.

This achievement of the Central Railway is all the more special because, with this collection, the Central Railway has not only exceeded the revenue target of Rs 102.80 crore set by the Railway Board for the financial year 2023–24 but also collected 39.92 percent more revenue than its collection in the preceding year. The Central Railway has collected Rs. 87.44 crore in the financial year 2022–23.

The modes of earning revenue for Indian Railways include passenger services, freight, parcels, etc. Apart from this, revenue is generated through various penal actions. Nowadays, dedicated efforts are being made by the officials of Indian railways to increase non-fare revenue collection.

To achieve this goal, various schemes have been implemented by Indian Railways, such as offering the service of Woloo toilets. Basically, Woloo is a mobile app that helps people find clean, safe, and certified washrooms. Apart from this, services like the start of an electric vehicle charging facility, the establishment of an emergency medical room with a pharmacy, vending contracts for non-catering items, and contracts for the cleaning of box waggons have been implemented by Indian railways for this purpose.

Additionally, partnerships and collaborations have played a significant role in the revenue generation of Indian Railways. Schemes like the introduction of app-based cab services, sleeping pods, and restaurant-on-wheels at seven different locations have not only helped the Central Railway broaden its revenue streams but have also benefited passengers by availing them of cost-efficient services.

Remarkably, to promote local entrepreneurship under 'Vocal for Local', the central railway is operating 91 stalls under the central government's One Station, One Product (OSOP) scheme. Under this scheme, the central government sold 2,48,529 items worth Rs. 2.07 crore during the financial year 2023–24.

Restaurant-on-wheels are operational at Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Amravati, Akola, Shegaon, Nashik Road, and Pune stations. Catering services have yielded a revenue of Rs. 104.62 crore. Central Railway has partnered with IRCTC to run 23 Bharat Gaurav trains, generating revenue amounting to Rs 10.25 crore. Additionally, as part of the Amrit Bharat Yojana, 77 stations are undergoing development to become 'Amrit Stations' at a total cost of Rs 1793.09 crore.