Tejas Express: If you come to know about the loss of 63 crores of a particular train, then you might not believe it at first, and you will be forced to think. But this is entirely true.
Three years ago, the operation of Tejas trains was handed over to the private operators by the Indian Railways. This was the first time that the Railways did this experiment. But this experiment of railways was not successful.
Fares Have Also Been Reduced
Currently, Tejas trains are operated from Delhi to Lucknow and from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Both these trains are running at huge losses. Tejas running from Delhi to Lucknow via Kanpur Central are currently losing 27.52 crores.
The train is running in loss due to fewer passengers travelling on this train. Due to this, the rounds of Tejas have also been reduced. Earlier, this train used to run six days a week, but now it runs on this route only for four days. Every day 200 to 250 seats are left vacant on the train.
Reasons For The Vacant Seats In The Train
Two significant reasons are being given for the vacant seats on the train. The first is that Rajdhani and Shatabdi run ahead of Tejas Express. Passengers get good facilities on both these trains, and their fares are less than Tejas.
In such a situation, people take Tejas tickets only if they do not get tickets in Rajdhani / Shatabdi. Given the continuous damage caused by the train with private operators, the Railway Ministry has, for the time being, deferred the decision to give another train to a private operator.
When How Much Was The Loss After The Corona Epidemic
The frequency of Tejas was increased or decreased. It was temporarily closed 5 times between 2019 and 2022 due to fewer passengers. On the Lucknow-New Delhi route, this train made a profit of 2.33 crores in 2019-20. After this, there has been a loss of 16.69 crores in 2020-21 during Kovid and 8.50 crores in 2021-22.
Why Did The Loss Happen?
Railways got the responsibility of operating the Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Lucknow-Delhi Tejas trains to IRCTC in 2019. In three years, the loss of both trains increased to Rs 62.88 crore.
In this regard, IRCTC officials say that fares were paid to the railways even during the shutdown of trains for a long time in Corona. Hope there will be no loss in the coming days.