MALIGAON, OCTOBER 23 (MExN): The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has made impressive strides in its special train operations, having successfully run 74 special trains from April 1 to October 14, 2024.
These services have provided substantial support to passengers across the region and beyond, with a total of 673 trips conducted, accommodating over 990,000 passengers during this period.
CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma in a press release informed that the revenue generated from these special train operations has reached approximately Rs 94.13 crore, reflecting NFR's commitment to enhancing service quality and addressing the increasing travel demand. Additionally, 883,700 extra berths have been provided to cater to passenger needs.
When compared to the previous financial year (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024), when 100 special trains were operated, this year’s performance has shown notable improvement. In the last financial year, NFR conducted 1,144 trips, earning Rs 109.58 crore. So far in the current year, the earnings for the same period represent about 85.90% of the total revenue achieved last year.
As part of its ongoing efforts during the festive season, NFR has been operating 13 pairs of special trains from October 1 to November 30, 2024, to accommodate travellers for Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja. This initiative will see a total of 238 trips covering key destinations such as Amritsar, Bengaluru, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Anand Vihar, and Shri Ganganagar, among others.
The special trains also enhance interconnectivity within the region, reaching areas such as Agartala, Naharlagun, Silchar, New Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Katihar.
With several months left in the financial year 2024-25, NFR is on track to surpass its operational benchmarks from the previous year. The railway's efficiency in managing special train operations and its responsiveness to passenger needs have been crucial in achieving these positive results, the press release maintained.
