36% increase in non-fare revenue earning of the Metro
Times of India | 8 March 2024
The Metro Railway, Kolkata has been instrumental in significantly boosting the Non-Fare Revenue earnings of the Indian Railways, playing a pivotal role despite being one of the smaller zones within the system. Metro Rail achieved a remarkable non-fare revenue of Rs. 40.12 crores from April 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024, marking a notable increase of 36.15% compared to the previous fiscal year, where it earned Rs.29.47 crores during the same period. Notably, in February 2024 alone, the Kolkata Metro generated Rs. 2.57 crores in non-fare revenue.
P. Uday Kumar Reddy, the General Manager of Metro Railway, expressed his satisfaction with these results, emphasizing the Metro's commitment to meeting and exceeding the expectations set by the Railway Board in the current fiscal year.
Metro Rail’s revenue generation is in line with the directives of the Railway Board. Kolkata Metro, in particular, has consistently delivered impressive results in this regard, maintaining its position as a frontrunner among all railway zones, even in the current fiscal year of 2023-24.
To support Indian Railways' initiatives aimed at diversifying revenue streams beyond traditional sources, the Metro Railway has implemented a range of innovative strategies to augment its income, which traditionally relies heavily on passenger fares.
These efforts include various avenues such as branding of litter bins at stations, showcasing advertisements both inside and outside metro carriages, erecting hoardings in strategic locations, introducing health check-up kiosks at stations, and adopting handle chain branding, among others.
Furthermore, the Metro Railway has introduced novel concepts like track sidewall branding, branding of card balance checking terminals (CBCTs), automatic smart card recharge machine (ASCRM) branding, branding of AFC-PC gates and flap branding, establishment of food kiosks, as well as branding opportunities for smart cards and tokens. Additionally, the installation of digital display screens within metro carriages provides commuters with informative and entertaining content. These initiatives have significantly contributed to the Metro Railway's non-fare revenue growth.