Mamata Banerjee Attacks Centre Over Rising Rail Fare, Inadequate Passenger Safety

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday slammed the Centre for soaring passenger fares of Indian Railways and questioned the passenger safety measures in the trains. Taking on to social media site X (formerly Twitter), Banerjee said that Railways has significantly increased the ticket prices even in 'Suvidha' trains. She further alleged that in specific train categories, the fares are surpassing even the rates charged for flights.

"Sad to find that railway passenger fares are steeply increasing and even in Suvidha trains, the fares are sometimes higher than air fares!! Where will common people go in case of emergency?" the message read.

Sad to find that railway passenger fares are steeply increasing and even in Suvidha trains the fares are sometimes higher than air fares!!

Where will common people go in case of emergencies?!

Fare hike must be curbed and reduced! And attention must be given to safety and… — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 19, 2023

Calling for a restraint on the fare increase and advocating for a potential reduction, the Chief Minister emphasized the need for prioritizing safety and security concerns. In her statement, Banerjee also made a comparison with her time as the Railway Minister.

“During my tenure as Railway Minister, I had introduced anti-collision devices and other anti-accident measures. Why are they not being used to avert the increasing number of train accidents, while anti-people fare regime continues unchecked?” Banerjee wrote on X.

Banerjee has been critical about the Indian Railways, especially on the issue of passenger safety since the train mishap at Odisha's Balasore district in June that left 296 people dead. She had also visited the accident spot near Bahanaga Bazar railway station and alleged that the project for introduction of anti-collision devices that was initiated during her tenure as Railway Minister has not progressed a bit.