Holi travel chaos: 1 crore more passengers, seat increase nowhere close!

Indian Railways is focusing on increasing the number of AC passengers. Generally, in a 22-coach train, 12 coaches are allocated for general and sleeper class (non-AC), and eight coaches are AC coaches.

Planning to go home for Holi, but can’t find a train seat? Even with the railways running numerous special trains, confirming a ticket remains a challenge! And why is that? The problem is particularly acute for those travelling in non-AC compartments. The reason? Passenger numbers have increased by over 10 million, while the number of train seats has increased by less than 500,000. Even in AC compartments, the number of passengers has risen from 180 million to 380 million in six years, with a negligible increase in seating capacity. This is despite the railways’ new economic strategy suggesting a preference for increased AC travel.

AC is Cool for the Railways

The railways are earning significantly more from AC 3-tier passengers. In 2019-20, 110 million passengers (1.4% of total passengers) travelled in AC 3-tier. In 2024-25, this number rose to 260 million (3.5% of total passengers). During this period, the railway’s revenue from AC 3-tier increased from ₹12,370 crore to ₹30,089 crore. This means that a mere two percentage point increase in passengers resulted in a nearly 2.5-fold increase in revenue.

In contrast, in 2019-20, the railways earned ₹13,641 crore (27%) from 370 million sleeper class passengers (4.6%), while in 2024-25, they earned ₹15,603 crore (19.5%) from 380 million sleeper class passengers (5.25%).

AC 3-Tier Passengers are the Railways’ Cash Cows

Financial Year	Passengers (in crores)	Revenue (₹ in crores)
2020	11.34	12,370
2021	3.24	4,750
2022	10.31	12,225
2023	18.03	21,345
2024	21.10	25,015
2025	25.97	30,089

It appears the railways are focusing on increasing the number of AC passengers. Typically, a 22-coach train has 12 general and sleeper class (non-AC) coaches and eight AC coaches. However, in many trains, general compartments have been replaced with AC coaches. Vande Bharat trains are being launched rapidly; 46 (out of 136 to date) were launched in 2024 alone, while the Amrit Bharat Express (entirely non-AC) has been launched on only four routes.

Sleeper Fare Increase Exceeds That of Third AC

The average fare for AC 3-tier has also increased less than other classes. Compared to 2019-20, the AC 3-tier fare increased by 7.4% per passenger in 2024-25, while the increase was 25.38% for AC First Class, 23.24% for AC Chair Car, and 18.22% for AC 2-tier. For sleeper class, the figure was 10.64%.

…But the government hasn’t added even 500,000 non-AC seats in six years
Between 2019-20 and 2024-25, the number of sleeper class passengers increased by 10 million. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, 6,511 new general compartments were added between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Assuming 72 seats per compartment, this translates to only 468,792 additional seats. Overall, the government has launched 772 new trains in five years, including local, long-distance, and Vande Bharat trains. This indicates a serious shortage of seats, even for AC passengers.