Parliament Question: Sale of Excess Tickets for General Coaches

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 247 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025 SALE OF EXCESS TICKETS FOR GENERAL COACHES †*247. SHRI DAROGA PRASAD SAROJ: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the number of passengers travelling per day by purchasing tickets in the general coaches currently being attached in Indian trains; (b) whether the Railways has data in percentage as to the number of tickets sold in excess as compared to the number of seats available in general coaches in a train; (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (d) the percentage of excess tickets sold in sleeper and AC coaches as compared to the number of seats available; (e) whether the Government proposes to exempt the money being collected as deduction at the time of cancellation of waiting tickets sold in excess of as compared to the number of seats in Sleeper and AC coaches; and (f) if so, the amount of revenue being earned per day by the Railways on account of cancellation of ticket along with the number of tickets being cancelled per day? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 247 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025 (a) to (f): Unreserved tickets are not train specific and the passengers can travel in any train going to that destination within the specified time limits subject to availability of coach of that class. It provides the flexibility to the passengers to board unreserved coach of any train going to the destination as per their convenience. With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years. The number of non-AC coaches have significantly increased. It is about 70% of the total coaches as detailed below: Table 1: Distribution of coaches: Non-AC coaches (general and ~57,200 ~70% sleeper) AC coaches ~25,000 ~30% Total coaches ~82,200 100%Due to higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers traveling in general/ unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend as shown below: Table 2: Passengers in general/unreserved coaches: Year No. of Passengers 2020-21 99 Cr (Covid year) 2021-22 275 Cr (Covid year) 2022-23 553 Cr 2023-24 609 Cr 2024-25 651 Cr The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows: Table 3: Distribution of seats: Non-AC seats ~ 54 lakhs ~ 78% AC seats ~ 15 lakhs ~ 22% Total ~ 69 lakhs 100% Given the above data, it is clear that Indian Railways is committed to the low and middle income families who prefer railways as an affordable means of transportation. Amrit Bharat Express: Railways have developed a fully non-AC modern train named as Amrit Bharat express. Already 14 services are in operation. The present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.High Speed and enhanced Safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities: i. Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper. ii. Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers. iii. Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube. iv. Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room. v. Improved designs of toilets. vi. Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth. vii. Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets. viii. Provision of EP assisted braking system. ix. Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles. x. USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets. xi. Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager. xii. Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity. xiii. Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment. Development of Amrit Bharat Express trains, manufacturing of MEMU trains, and increasing the share of general coaches clearly shows that Indian Railways is catering effectively to the demand for travel in general class. Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, whichare in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services. Standard Composition: To provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non-AC coaches and 08 (eight) AC-Coaches, in a train of 22 coaches. With regard to reserved accommodation, the number of reserved tickets issued depends upon the carrying capacity of the coach, the profile of the coach defined in the system, etc. Further, the demand pattern of reserved accommodation is not uniform throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. The trains running on popular routes and convenient timings are generally well patronized, however, in other trains, accommodation is generally available. Waiting list position of all the trains running on Indian Railways is monitored on regular basis. In order to cater to additional demand, Indian Railways also operates Special train services and augments the load of trains to generate additional accommodation for different segments of passengers, both on permanent and temporary basis subject to operational feasibility, resource availability. Clerkage charge is levied on cancellation of waitlisted tickets as per Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Rules 2015. Moreover, waitlisted tickets are issued to take care of berths going vacant against cancellation of confirmed/RAC tickets duringadvance reservation period. Further, waitlisted ticket passengers have also option to get upgraded under upgradation scheme or shifted to alternate train under VIKALP scheme. Amount credited on account of cancellation of tickets is not maintained separately. ******