Railways boosting revenue mix

Southern Railway posted the fastest passenger-revenue growth among Indian Railways zones in 2025-26, with earnings from originating passengers rising 9.8% to ₹8,271.47 crore. (dtnext.in) That was up from ₹7,435.69 crore a year earlier and added ₹735.78 crore in one year, according to Southern Railway figures reported on April 16. The zone also carried 76.76 crore passengers in 2025-26, up 4.9% from 73.18 crore, beating its annual target. (dtnext.in) (msn.com) A big part of the mix shift came from premium seats and last-minute booking. Southern Railway earned ₹267.05 crore from Tatkal and ₹594.36 crore from Premium Tatkal in 2025-26, with Premium Tatkal alone accounting for 18.63% of Indian Railways revenue in that category. (dtnext.in) The reservation system matters here because it decides how many empty berths can still be sold close to departure. Southern Railway said improved Passenger Reservation System use helped convert about 5.8 million vacant seats into nearly 9.8 million passenger journeys, a utilization rate of about 170%. (dtnext.in) (english.mathrubhumi.com) Vande Bharat demand is pushing the same trend toward higher-yield services. Indian Railways said the Vande Bharat network carried about 3.98 crore passengers in FY 2025-26, up nearly 34% from 2.97 crore in FY 2024-25, and the Chennai-Mysuru route alone has served more than 36 lakh passengers since launch. (pib.gov.in) (thehindu.com) Southern Railway said it recorded the highest Vande Bharat occupancy nationally, with the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Central service showing end-to-end occupancy of 187.78%. Six trains from the zone also ranked among India’s 10 most-occupied services, and 96% of its reserved trains ran above 75% occupancy. (dtnext.in) The zone expanded supply at the same time. Southern Railway’s press-release index shows it issued an April 16 note saying it introduced 28 pairs of trains and two one-way services in FY 2025-26, the highest count among zones, while another April 15 note said it led on passenger trips, revenue, occupancy, Tatkal use and current booking. (sr.indianrailways.gov.in) That combination of fuller trains, more premium bookings and more services raises the load on coach makers, parts vendors and maintenance contractors. Southern Railway’s own April press-release index also highlighted stronger signal and telecom performance in FY 2025-26, the kind of back-end work needed to run denser schedules and faster turnarounds. (sr.indianrailways.gov.in 1) (sr.indianrailways.gov.in 2) Indian Railways overall carried about 741 crore passengers in 2025-26 and generated roughly ₹80,000 crore in total revenue, according to a Press Information Bureau release on April 15. Southern Railway’s numbers show a bigger share of that business is now coming from passengers who pay more for speed, certainty and late-availability seats. (pib.gov.in) (dtnext.in)