Responses under the Right to Information Act have unveiled that the Indian Railways garnered over Rs 5,800 crore in additional revenue from senior citizens following the withdrawal of concessions in train fares four years ago.
The Railway Ministry made the decision to withdraw concessions in train fares for senior citizens on March 20, 2020, coinciding with the nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19. Previously, senior citizens were entitled to a 50 per cent concession for females and a 40 per cent concession for males and transgender passengers on train fares.
Since the withdrawal of concessions, senior citizens are now required to pay full fare for train journeys, in line with other passengers. Per Railway norms, individuals aged 60 and above for males and transgenders, and 58 and above for females are considered senior citizens.
Multiple applications filed under the RTI Act by Chandra Shekhar Gaur from Madhya Pradesh have revealed that from March 20, 2020, to January 31, 2024, the Railways have accrued an additional revenue of over Rs 5,875 crore.
Gaur explained that the responses from the Railways, categorized by year and gender, allowed for a straightforward calculation of the additional revenue collected over the mentioned period.
The data shared by Gaur indicates that approximately 13 crore male, nine crore female, and 33,700 transgender senior citizens took train journeys over the four-year period, generating a total revenue of around Rs 13,287 crore.
Addressing queries regarding the restoration of concessions for senior citizens, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted that Indian Railways provides a 55 per cent concession on train fares to all passengers. However, Gaur pointed out that the withdrawal of concessions by the current government suggests that more concessions were available before Covid-19, beyond the Rs 55 concession per train ticket highlighted by Vaishnaw.
