BHOPAL: More than 61.05 lakh complaints pertaining to trains and railway stations were made to the Railways over the past two years. While security, electrical equipment, and cleanliness in trains emerged as major concerns for rail travellers, there was a notable improvement in the crucial area of train punctuality.
A detailed reply by the Railways to an RTI application filed by Madhya Pradesh-based RTI activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur revealed that over 61.05 lakh complaints related to trains and railway stations were received during the two-year period.
The data shows that the maximum complaints concerning trains in 2023-24 and 2024-25 were related to security issues, whereas the highest number of complaints concerning railway stations were about unreserved ticketing.
Complaints related to trains rose by 18% in 2024-25 compared to the previous year, while public grievances about railway stations saw a significant decline of 21%.
Out of the total 61.05 lakh complaints, 28,96,692 were lodged in 2023-24, while 32,08,712 complaints were recorded in 2024-25, indicating an 11% increase in total complaints within a year.
Complaints concerning trains, which stood at 23,40,730 in 2023-24, increased by 18% to 27,69,162 in 2024-25. Conversely, complaints about railway stations declined significantly by 21%, from 5,55,962 in 2023-24 to 4,39,550 in 2024-25.
A detailed breakdown of complaints regarding trains revealed that more than 12.07 lakh, or around 24% of the total 51,09,892 complaints lodged during the two years, were related to security issues.
This was followed by 8,44,736 complaints (16.53%) about electrical equipment and 8,44,698 complaints about coach cleanliness, accounting for 16.50% of the total complaints.
A comparative analysis of the statistics concerning train complaints indicated that while grievances about security, staff behaviour, water availability, catering and vending services, coach maintenance, and facilities for women with special needs increased, complaints related to punctuality, coach cleanliness, as well as corruption and bribery, showed a declining trend.
Complaints related to security on trains, which stood at over 4.57 lakh in 2023-24, surged by 64% to over 7.50 lakh in 2024-25. Meanwhile, complaints concerning train punctuality fell by 15%, from over 3.25 lakh in 2023-24 to over 2.77 lakh in 2024-25.
Regarding railway stations, complaints decreased by 1,16,412, or around 21%, from over 5.55 lakh in 2023-24 to more than 4.39 lakh in 2024-25.
Apart from security, water availability, cleanliness, passenger amenities, electrical equipment, facilities for Divyangjan, and catering-vending services, complaints about all other issues at railway stations, including corruption and bribery, goods, luggage-parcels, ticket refunds, reserved and unreserved ticketing, and staff behaviour, were on the decline when compared with the previous year.
Among complaints about railway stations, unreserved ticketing accounted for the highest number, though this segment also recorded the steepest decline. Complaints in this category, which stood at 1,93,775 in 2023-24, plummeted by 40% to 1,16,394 in 2024-25.