NEW DELHI: Train ticket bookings in unreserved classes in suburban and non-suburban regions have declined noticeably since 2021–22 to date, compared to the period between 2014–15 and 2019–20. On the other hand, Indian Railways have witnessed a marked increase in the booking of reserved class tickets after Covid-19.
A senior railway source explained, “The paying capacity of passengers from the middle classes has improved, leading to the rise in the booking of tickets in reserved classes.”
According to official railway data, the proportion of passengers choosing to book tickets in reserved classes has risen significantly since 2021–22 compared to the ratio recorded between 2014–15 and 2020–21.
Sources said that around 772 million passengers booked tickets in reserved classes in 2021–22, followed by 779 million in 2022–23 and 771 million in 2023–24. Official data showed that “807 million passengers– the highest since 2014–15–booked their tickets in reserved classes in 2024–25”.
At the same time, the number of passengers booking tickets in unreserved classes began to increase from the 2021–22 period. “In 2021–22, 2,194 million unreserved tickets were booked in suburban areas, followed by 3,834 million in 2022–23, 4,026 million in 2023–24 and 4,201 million in 2024–25. But, the booking of unreserved tickets in non-suburban areas declined from 2019–20,” said a source.
The data clearly shows that unreserved ticket bookings in non-suburban areas were high from 2014–15 until 2019–20. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, only 76 million unreserved tickets were booked in non-suburban regions in 2020–21, which gradually increased to 582 million in 2021–22, 1,826 million in 2022–23, 2,150 million in 2023–24 and 2,360 million in 2024–25.
Notably, the booking of unreserved tickets in suburban areas was encouraging between 2014–15 and 2019–20. In 2020–21, only 925 million unreserved tickets were booked in suburban areas. Following the pandemic, bookings gradually increased from 2021-2022, reaching 2,194 million unreserved tickets in suburban areas.