Indian Railways earns Rs 360 crore in operating Shramik special trains

The Indian Railways on Monday said the average fare per person on Shramik Special train is Rs 600 and it transported 60 lakh migrant workers since May 1. With this, the national transporter earned Rs 360 crore.

The railways operated 4,450 Shramik special trains since May 1 and ferried 60 lakh migrant workers. However, the railways managed to recover only 15 per cent of the cost of operating a train, Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav, told reporters.

Official in Rail Bhavan says operationing cost of one Shramik Special train is around Rs 80 lakh. Of the total cost, 85 per cent borne by Railways while remaining 15 per cent shared by states.

“The average fare of Shramik Special trains is Rs 600 per passenger. One has to keep in mind that these are normal fares and not fares for special trains which are higher. We carried 60 lakh passengers, so the revenue can be calculated. We however, managed to recover only 15 per cent of cost of operations,” Yadav said.

Most of the migrants have returned to their home states. Only few are left and they will be sent back. The railways is working with states to operate Shramik special trains, he said.

The railways started operation of Shramik Special trains from May 1 to ferry migrant workers, students and tourists to their home.