Bullet Train? Trains on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route go half-empty

As the Narendra Modi government goes ahead with its much-hyped 'Bullet Train' between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, a Right To Information query has revealed that over 40 per cent of seats on all the trains on this sector remained empty between July and September this year, causing a loss of Rs30 crore to Western Railway in just three months.

Mumbai-based activist Anil Galgali had filed an RTI query seeking details on the seat occupancy on all trains running on the route, as he wondered about the viability of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.

As per information revealed by the Railways' commercial department, the 32 trains that run from Mumbai to Ahmedabad have a total of 7,35,630 seats. Of these, only 4,41,795 seats were booked, generating a revenue of Rs30.16 crore, as against the total expected revenue of Rs44.29 crore. In just three months, a loss of Rs 14.12 crore was incurred.

Similarly, a total of 3,98,002 passengers travelled from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, against to the 7,06,446 available seats. The total revenue generated was Rs26.74 crore, as against the expected amount of Rs42.53 crore - a loss of Rs 15.78 crore.

The information has further revealed that Shatabdi Express is the most popular among passengers on this route for its chair car service, but the highest demand is for the cheap sleeper class seats, which are heavily cross-subsidised by the Railways from freight and other income.

"The Indian government is overenthusiastic and plans to spend more than Rs1 lakh crore on the Bullet Train project, but it has not done its homework properly," Galgali said.

The Indian Railways have also admitted that they had no plans to introduce any new trains on this sector, which is already in the red.

The WR provided the data of all the major trains plying on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai route like the Duranto, Shatabdi Express, Lokshakti Express, Gujarat Mail, Bhavnagar Express, Saurashtra Express, and Vivek-Bhuj Express and others.

Faced with the vacancies on existing trains, the WR divisional engineer, Ahmedabad informed that there is no fresh proposal to introduce any new trains on this sector.

In fact, Galgali said that the most popular train, 12009 Shatabdi Express with a capacity of 72,696 seats sold only 36,117 during the July-September period on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, and in the return direction of the total 67,392 seats, only 22,982 were sold.

This train, which once always ran packed in all seasons both ways has now proved to be a loss-maker, and the executive chair car with 7,505 seats was practically deserted with just 1,469 seats booked, with revenues sinking the estimated Rs1,45,49,714 to a paltry Rs 26,41,083 during the last quarter.

Galgali said that given this current alarming scenario, coupled with a growing preference for flights and improved road travel, the Central and Gujarat governments must review the expensive option of the Bullet Train before it becomes a white elephant for the Indian taxpayers.