New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Indian Railways achieved a growth of 8 per cent in passenger traffic and 5.2 per cent in freight revenue in FY24, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25 that was tabled in Parliament on Friday.

"Indian Railways (IR) is the fourth largest network in the world. Passenger traffic originating in IR achieved a growth of 8 per cent over the previous year. Revenue earning freight in FY24 achieved a growth of 5.2 per cent," the survey said, adding that in view of the rising passenger traffic, the government is taking various steps to upgrade passenger amenities.

The survey highlighted the government's focus on digitalisation in the Indian Railways and said, "E-ticketing has touched 86 per cent in the reserved sector as of October 2024. Ticketing through digital means in the unreserved sector has increased from 28 per cent at the beginning of the current financial year to around 33 per cent in October 2024." "IR has also transformed the refund process, enabling refunds in eligible cases within 24 hours in around 98 per cent of cases. Dynamic QR code-based payment has been enabled across all the counters. The passenger reservation system is being redeveloped using cloud-native technologies," the survey said.

According to the survey, the new application will have features like high scalability, high performance, high availability, high level of security, ease of operations and high agility.

Noting the railways' role in encouraging tourism, it said, "Bharat gaurav trains have been introduced as theme-based tourist circuit trains that showcase India's rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places." "Under this scheme, the service provider is to provide comprehensive tour services comprising meals, accommodation, transport, sightseeing, tour guide etc. As of date, a total of 325 trips of Bharat gaurav trains carrying 1,91,033 tourists have been operated, covering various tourist destinations," it added. PTI JP RC

Railways digitalisation expands e ticketing and passenger services, enhancing refunds, payment systems and themed tourist train offerings. Indian Railways saw growth in passenger traffic and freight revenue and is advancing passenger amenities through digitalisation: expanded reserved e ticketing, increased digital sales in unreserved travel, rapid refunds in most eligible cases, dynamic QR payments at counters, and redevelopment of the passenger reservation system using cloud native technologies to ensure high scalability, performance, availability and security. The railways also promote tourism via theme based tourist circuit trains providing integrated tour services, with multiple trips operated under the scheme.