In Guntur, autos turn out to be railways' enemy No 1

GUNTUR: Concerned with the dip in passenger turnout, South Central Railway(SCR) authorities at Guntur division have started a study to find out the reason behind it. Although revenues earned through passenger ticket sales reported a slight increase this financial year, the overall passenger turnout saw a dip of nearly 20 lakh people in 2018-19.

About 22.76 million people travelled by trains in the division in 2018-19.

In 2017-18, however, passenger turnout stood at 24.46 million, at nearly 2 million more than the just ended fiscal year.

This in spite of the fact that railways in this region offer the best possible mode of transport, especially to remote areas.

Sources said that preliminary enquiries by commercial department found that there was a steep fall in the passenger number in the short distanced destinations. Officials believe that growing dependence on local transport facilities, particularly auto rickshaws, to travel between the such destinations could be the reason for people not opting for train services.

Frequency of auto-rickshaws have also been on the rise since people have taken to them, especially because autos pick up passengers from their door-steps. “However, people are not realising that travelling by auto rickshaws on the state or national highways is not a safe option. Unfortunately, people are taking to autos despite ghastly road accidents involving untrained auto drivers or drivers without licence,” said a senior railway official. He also said that there is a need for organising awareness programmes to make people opt for a safer mode of transport like the rail.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) VG Bhooma said they have requested APSRTC authorities to ply shuttle services between bus stations and railway stations.

“The negative growth rate in the passenger turnout is a matter of concern as we are spending huge on improving the passenger amenities. We have launched a study to find out the reasons for dip in the passenger turnout,” said (DRM) V G Bhooma told STOI.