BENGALURU: Without any fanfare, the Bengaluru Railway Division launched a Rail Bus service between Yeshwantpur and Nelamangala nearly four months ago. This bus on a railway track has helped the Railways slash losses at least on one passenger train.
Poor patronage was the reason Railways wanted to pull the plug on the DEMU train running between these two stations for nearly a year. “The train with eight coaches did not have enough occupancy even in one full coach. We even had a day when only 16 passengers travelled in the train that could accommodate 1,600 passengers,” said a top railway official.
Senior Divisional Operations Manager K V Gopinath told Express, “There was just one Rail Bus in our Division that was running between Bangarpet and Kolar some years ago. It used to run jam-packed due to the huge rush between these areas. Hence, we exchanged the Rail Bus service there with the DEMU between Yeshwantpur and Nelamangala.”
The Rail Bus, the only such vehicle running in the Bengaluru Division, had its first run on September 12, 2016. It is a miniature version of a train and comprises just one coach. The engine, driver and guard are all accommodated inside the coach and it has to adhere to all the rules followed by trains, the official said.
The Rail Bus runs on all days of the week. It leaves Yeshwantpur at 7.30 am and reaches Nelamangala at 8.15 am. In the return direction, it leaves Nelamangala at 8.45 am and reaches Yeshwantpur at 9.40 am.
The reduction in losses on one particular passenger train is not maintained. “We do not maintain records of every single passenger train. All passenger trains are loss-making ventures due to the subsidised ticket fare. We can safely say that the Rail Bus has definitely slashed the loss figures incurred on this specific route via the passenger service,” the official added.
The Rail Bus currently runs at occupancy figures ranging between 60 and 70 percent. It goes full on some busy days, he said.