In November, the service carried 42,021 passengers, collecting Rs 27.65 lakh and in December, it ferried 43,500 passengers for Rs 27.11 lakh, said an official. (Representational)The Central Railway has said that it ferried 3,06,763 passengers and transported 42,613 packages in its toy train service between Aman Lodge and Matheran hill station during the last financial year (April 2021-March 2022) and collected a revenue of Rs 1.82 crore. It has thus surpassed the pre-pandemic numbers of 2,68,282 passengers and collection worth Rs 1.52 crore for the financial year 2019-20, indicating a spurt in tourism following the retreat of Covid-19.
For 2020-21, the peak of Covid-19 in the country, the numbers were expectedly lower; 1,22,305 passengers and a revenue of Rs 72 lakh.
The collection for 2021-22 includes Rs 1.78 crore from ticket charges and Rs 3.29 lakh from parcel charges, the railways added. The railways said that it operated 16 services on weekdays and 20 services on weekends to Matheran hill station, the nearest and most popular tourist destination near Mumbai.
The winter vacation is the most appropriate time for tourists travelling to Matheran and unsurprisingly November and December topped the chart last year. In November, the service carried 42,021 passengers, collecting Rs 27.65 lakh and in December, it ferried 43,500 passengers for Rs 27.11 lakh, said an official.
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In addition to providing a comfortable journey, these services help in cheap and quick transportation of goods also, railway officials said. “These figures indicate the important role of Railways in providing a safe and comfortable journey to people coming to this tourist destination. Central Railway is popularising this place not only as a major tourist destination but also as a place which takes one close to nature. It provides the thrill of watching nature closely along with a memorable ride in the toy train,” said Shivaji Sutar, Central Railway chief public relations officer.
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