The Eastern Railway has recorded a sharp rise in passenger revenue and considerable reduction in operational expenditure in the final quarter of the ongoing fiscal. According to the official data, during the last three months, Eastern Railway’s passenger revenue witnessed a substantial jump of 18.65 per cent.
This, according to the ER is up from Rs 984.81 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year to Rs 1,061.65 crore in the current cycle. This surge in earnings was accompanied by a 2.56 per cent growth in originating passenger traffic, which rose to 342.07 million.
According to the zonal railway sources, the zone’s “different initiatives” aimed at enhancing non-fare revenue have brought such results, particularly in sundry revenue. This segment, which includes income from station advertisements, land leasing, and other ancillary sources, saw a growth of 110.7 per cent, which was almost double of Rs 66.14 crore to Rs 139.36 crore. Apart from this, revenue from ticket checking drives has seen a growth of 25.69 per cent to contribute Rs 24.95 crore to the exchequer.
In terms of freight as well, the zonal railway maintained a steady momentum by recording 23.14 million tonnes of loading in last three months. According to the ER official sources, the focus of the zonal railway in this quarter was to “do more with less.” Through various fiscal measures, Eastern Railway reined in its ordinary working expenses (OWE), achieving a reduction of 11.44 per cent compared to the previous financial year.
One of the crucial parts of the revenue generated was commercial auctions in the Sealdah and Malda Divisions. On 12 February, the Sealdah Division auctioned 12 commercial assets, fetching a total contract value of more than Rs 2.39 crore. Simultaneously, between 1 February and 10 February, the Malda Division auctioned 14 commercial assets for a cumulative contract value of Rs 2.50 crore.
According to a senior official of Eastern Railway, the combination of aggressive revenue generation and stringent cost-cutting has paved the way for a more sustainable financial model. The reduction in working expenses, despite the rise in traffic and services, reflects a commitment to optimizing resources and adopting technological interventions to curb waste.