36.15 % INCREASE IN NON-FARE REVENUE EARNINGS OF METRO
Kolkata, Date: 07.03.2024
Metro Railway has been playing a pivotal role in increasing the Non-Fare Revenue earnings of Indian Railways. Following the guidelines of the Railway Board, Metro Railway, in spite of being one of the smallest zones of Indian Railways, showed remarkable results in its effort to increase Non-Fare Revenue earnings in the previous years. Keeping that tradition intact in the current fiscal i.e., 2023-24, Kolkata Metro has been able to register itself as one of the front runners among all Railway zones in producing sterling results.
In order to make Indian Railways’ initiatives to increase its Non-Fare Revenue for boosting earnings apart from the traditional sources of income successful, Metro Railway has adopted various innovative steps to increase its revenue which is in general totally dependent on passenger earnings.
As part of that endeavour, Metro Railway has been focusing on generating revenues through branding Litter Bins at stations, displaying advertisements inside and outside Metro rakes, displaying hoardings in open spaces and installing health check-up kiosks at different stations, handling chain branding, etc.
Apart from this, Metro Railway has also implemented innovative ideas like Track Sidewalls Branding, Card Balance Checking Terminal (CBCT) Branding, Automatic Smart Card Recharge Machine (ASCRM) Branding, AFC-PC Gates and Flap Branding, installation of food kiosks, Smart Card and Token Branding, installing digital display screens inside rakes for providing infotainment to commuters, etc. Such initiatives have helped to increase Metro Railway’s Non-Fare Revenue to a great extent.
With such concerted efforts, Metro Railway has earned Rs. 40.12 crores from 1st April, 2023 to 29th February, 2024 as Non-Fare Revenue (NFR). In 2022-23 Metro had earned Rs. 29.47 crores as NFR during the same period (i.e. from April, 2022 to February, 2023). This is an increase of 36.15%. In February,2024 itself, Kolkata Metro earned Rs. 2.57 crores as NFR.
Shri P Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager, Metro Railway has expressed his satisfaction as Metro has been able to show such a performance. He expressed his hope that in this fiscal too Metro will be able to fulfill the expectations of the Railway Board.
