Indian Railways earned an additional ₹8,913 crore over five years by discontinuing senior citizen concessions. This information came from responses provided by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) under the RTI Act. CRIS, operating under the Railway Ministry, manages ticketing and passenger data.
Policy Change During COVID-19
Concessions for senior citizens were withdrawn from March 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this, males and transgenders above 60 years and females above 58 years received 40% and 50% discounts respectively on train fares across all classes.
Passenger and Revenue Data (2020–2025)
RTI activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur revealed that 31.35 crore senior citizens travelled by train between March 2020 and February 2025 without concessions. The gender-wise breakup included approximately 18.279 crore males, 13.065 crore females, and 43,536 transgenders.
Revenue collected from these passengers was as follows:
- ₹11,531 crore from male senior citizens
- ₹8,599 crore from female senior citizens
- ₹28.64 lakh from transgender senior citizens
Based on the earlier concession rates, the Railways gained an additional ₹8,913 crore due to the suspension.
Government’s Stand on Concessions
Despite repeated demands in Parliament to restore the benefit, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has maintained that Indian Railways already offers an average subsidy of 46% per passenger. In a March 2025 statement to the Lok Sabha, he said that in 2022–23, the Railways provided subsidies totaling ₹56,993 crore.
He explained that if the cost of service is ₹100, the passenger pays only ₹54. Additional concessions continue for other categories, including:
- Four categories of persons with disabilities
- Eleven categories of patients
- Eight categories of students
Call for Restoration of Benefits
RTI activist Gaur has urged the government to reinstate senior citizen concessions. He questioned the government’s role as a welfare state and emphasized that citizens contribute taxes throughout their lives and deserve such support in their senior years.
