Indian Railways passengers data: Indian Railways (IR) remains one of the most preferred modes of transportation in the country. Over the past decade, the Ministry of Railways has undertaken several initiatives to enhance connectivity including – the launch of modern trains like Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat, doubling of railway lines, construction of new tracks, and the redevelopment of stations, among others.
Earlier this week, Congress MP Imran Masood raised a question to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding the number of passengers who have travelled by train since 2019.
In response, Vaishnaw stated that train occupancy is not uniform throughout the year. He explained that passenger numbers fluctuate depending on lean and peak travel periods.
“On Indian Railways, the occupancy pattern of trains is not uniform throughout the year, and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush periods, the occupancy of the trains, especially on popular routes, remains full whereas during lean periods and on less popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization,” Vaishnaw added.
How many passengers travelled by train in last six years?
A total of 3349 crore passengers travelled in Indian Railways (IR) during last six years (i.e. 2019-20 to 2024-25) which included 418 crore reserved and 2,931 crore unreserved class passengers (2020-21 and 2021-22 were COVID years).
Elaborating further, Vaishnaw said, “To cater to the rush during Durga Pooja/Deepawali/Chhath, 7,990 trips of Special trains were operated during the period 1st October,2024 to 30th November, 2024, to serve approximately 1.8 crore passengers.
With a view to facilitate the passengers during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh, IR operated more than 17,300 trains during the period 13th January, 2025 to 28th February, 2025, which served approximately 4.24 crore passengers.”
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The national transporter also increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. A look at how many passengers travelled by general coaches in the last five financial years.
Passengers in general/unreserved coaches:
Source: Indian Railways