2.70 crore passengers denied train travel in FY23 after being waitlisted
1 min read . Updated: 08 May 2023, 11:49 PM IST
PremiumAn RTI query filed by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur revealed that in the just-concluded financial year, over 2.7 crore passengers could not travel with Indian Railways due to being waitlisted.
More than 2.7 crore passengers were unable to travel with Indian Railways in the recently ended financial year after being waitlisted. According to a recent RTI query, this number had stood at 1.65 crore during the previous fiscal year. The plea was filed by a Madhya Pradesh-based activist named Chandra Shekhar Gaur.
The Railway Board said that there had been a total of 1.76 crore PNR numbers, against which 2.72 crore passengers were scheduled to travel. Accordingly they their bookings had been automatically cancelled and ticket fares refunded.
The inability to provide confirmed tickets to passengers has been a recurrent problem with the national transporter.
Railways officials said that it was making efforts to increase the capacity to make trains available on demand. "This would reduce the possibility of passengers getting waitlisted," an official said.
In 2014-15, the number of cancelled PNRs stood at 1.13 crore, and in 2015-2016, it was 81.05 lakh. In 2016-2017, it was 72.13 lakh, in 2017-18, 73 lakh, and in 2018-2019, the number stood at 68.97 lakh, according to official figures.
In the year 2020-21, the total number of PNRs auto cancelled due to remaining in waiting list was 38.89 lakh and 61 lakh passengers were booked on these PNRs.
(With inputs from agencies)