Northern Railway posts 83% jump in Vande Bharat passengers; revenue up 72%

Northern Railway has recorded significant progress in passenger services during the first quarter (April-June 2026) of the financial year 2026-27. A total of 147,462 passengers travelled on Vande Bharat trains during the period, compared with 80,394 during the same period last year.

“This represents an 83 per cent increase in passenger numbers. Revenue from Vande Bharat trains increased from Rs 7.67 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, a 72 per cent increase,” said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway.

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He said that during the first quarter (April-June 2026) of FY 2026-27, Northern Railway achieved significant milestones in operational efficiency, revenue generation, ticket checking, and passenger services.

During the period, Northern Railway enhanced passenger convenience through various operational initiatives and also recorded significant revenue growth, surpassing the targets set by the Railway Board.

“To meet the growing passenger demand, Northern Railway successfully operated 1,887 special trains under the ‘Trains on Demand’ scheme. These special trains effectively managed the additional peak-season demand across major routes of Indian Railways, generating additional revenue of Rs 185.52 crore,” Upadhyay said.

With the aim of providing more reserved seats to passengers, 4,120 additional coaches were attached to various trains while the waiting list was regularly monitored, he said.

“This initiative not only provided relief to passengers but also generated additional revenue of Rs 28.81 crore for Northern Railway,” Upadhyay added.

To better utilise the Tatkal reservation system, Northern Railway also made significant progress in optimising the Premium Tatkal and Tatkal quotas.

“In June 2026, a total of 18,531 Premium Tatkal berths were effectively utilised on 133 trips of 15 selected weekend trains, resulting in additional revenue of Rs 1.02 crore. Additionally, 6,130 underutilised Tatkal berths were converted to the General quota, benefiting more passengers,” he noted.

Northern Railway also recorded significant improvements in overall passenger traffic and revenue performance.

The number of originating passengers increased from 114.3 million to 120.7 million during the period, registering a 5.6 per cent increase. Revenue from originating passengers rose from Rs 3,083.42 crore to Rs 3,567.59 crore, an increase of 15.7 per cent.

“Northern Railway also performed exceptionally well during ticket-checking campaigns. During April-June 2026, 12.66 lakh cases of irregular travel were registered, compared with 11.01 lakh during the same period last year. This represents an increase of 14.99 per cent. Revenue from ticket checking increased from Rs 72.60 crore to Rs 89.21 crore, an increase of 22.88 per cent,” Upadhyay said.

Northern Railway’s performance also exceeded the targets set by the Railway Board. The target for ticket-checking cases was 10.84 lakh, while the actual achievement was 12.66 lakh—1.82 lakh (16.79 per cent) more than the target.

Similarly, the target for ticket-checking revenue was Rs 73.39 crore, while the actual collection stood at Rs 89.21 crore, exceeding the target by Rs 15.82 crore (21.56 per cent).

“The increased efficiency of the ticket-checking system is evident from the fact that daily ticket-checking revenue exceeded Rs 1 crore on only three days during April-June 2025. The number of such days increased to 49 during April-June 2026,” he said.

In the zonal ranking based on ticket-checking revenue at the all-India level, Northern Railway secured the third position in April and May 2026. In June 2026, it topped the rankings across Indian Railways.

“These achievements are the result of a focused operational strategy, efficient resource utilisation, continuous monitoring, an effective ticket-checking system, strong regional supervision, and the collective commitment of officers and staff. Northern Railway will continue to work with the same dedication to provide better passenger services, maintain operational excellence, and ensure sustained growth in railway revenues,” he added.