Railway officials in the city are desperately hoping that the railway ministry would seriously consider a fare hike. That's the only way to ensure that the stiff targets set for both Western and Central Railways this year are met, they feel.
The downside for the commuter however is that s/he will be paying more for the rides, the quality of which will most probably decrease as the railway is finding itself increasingly short of funds to enhance commuting infrastructure.
As reported by DNA on May 13, both WR and CR have seen their passenger earnings targets hiked in a big way, with officials claiming that it would be impossible to operate trains charging the present fare.
"Even consumables like bulbs and batteries are now in short supply because of lack of funds. Payments to contractors has been delayed by over a year. New projects are in cold storage because no money is being allotted. A fare hike could bring down losses to an extent, but that doesn't mean there will be money for big-ticket projects," said a top official.
Calculations showed that both WR and CR spend around Rs 190 to earn Rs 100 in the suburban section. The fact that around 70% of the 75 lakh-odd suburban commuters use season passes is one reason for the massive losses.
"A season pass charges you for 15 journeys, whereas in Mumbai a pass-holder undertakes almost 60 journeys a month," said an official.
The consensus among officials is that the suburban section should have a fare structure which ensures enough money to undertake large-scale projects. "People in Mumbai will pay more if they are given better facilities. Unfortunately, the suburban system is running up losses and facilities are deteriorating. Look at the old trains running on CR and Harbour Line. It is injustice to the commuters," said an official.
Bhandup-resident Manish Chaturvedi said a hike would be acceptable only if facilities are upgraded. "Railways is taking a short-cut by increasing fares. It has done little to improve facilities and now wants to increase fares instead of coming up with out-of-the-box solutions like commercial development of land, exporting equipment, etc," said Chaturvedi.
The big target chase
CR's Mumbai division has a target of Rs 928 crore for its suburban section for 2014-15, up from the 2013-14 Rs 789cr target. Its non-suburban section has a Rs 2,042 crore target. Last year it was Rs 1,666cr.
WR's Mumbai division has a suburban passenger earning target of Rs 854.36 crore. Last year it was Rs 715.91cr. The target for long-distance section for 2014-15 is Rs 1,747.41 crore; last fiscal it was Rs 1,414.37cr.
Targets fro 2014-15
CR
Suburban: Rs 928cr
Non-suburban: Rs 2,042crores
WR
Suburban: Rs 854.36cr
Non-suburban: Rs 1,747.41cr
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