CHENNAI: Much to the surprise of railway officials, earning from passenger bookings crossed the daily average by huge margins on days ahead of Pongal.
On Wednesday, at Chennai Egmore alone, there was an earning of Rs 26.67 lakh against the average of Rs 15 lakh from passenger bookings.
"The largest average earnings recorded ever was around Rs 19 lakh and earnings at Egmore for January 12 crossed that record," a senior official told Deccan Chronicle.
In Chennai Central, on January 11 and 12, the earnings were recorded at Rs. 65.02 lakh and Rs. 53.95 lakh, against the daily average of Rs. 26.21 lakh, according to senior officials.
Footfall at the stations also saw an increase on both the days. On January 11, 28,661 and on January 12, 27,934 passengers were recorded as against a daily average of 19,664 in Chennai Central.
Several companies had given Friday as an optional holiday, which added to the holiday mood. Also, many employees left the city early due to uncertainty in the availability of tickets just ahead of Pongal day.
With many special trains introduced daily ahead of Pongal, patronage and the earnings saw an increase. Suvidha trains, which have the dynamic pricing system, were also introduced from Chennai to places like Tirunelveli to clear the Pongal rush.
"As Pongal fell on a Saturday, we did not have extra leave this year, unlike other years but I left early for home. I had booked in advance on two trains and many people couldn't get confirmed tickets even after booking in advance," said M. Siddharth, a marketing professional.
