Indian Railways on Friday announced that it has suffered a loss of Rs 2,220 crore, including Rs 67 crore in passenger revenue as a result of the ongoing protest by farmers against the Central farm reform laws.According to the information received via sources, the protests that began on September 24, have till date affected 3,850 freight trains which could not be loaded and as many as 2,352 passenger trains have been cancelled or diverted so far. The deadlock between the protesting farmers and the Railways heightened when the national transporter rejected a proposal by the protestors that only freight trains will be allowed to run in the state. "The revenue loss due to cancellation of passenger trains is Rs 67 crore. The total loss of earnings at the IR level is Rs 2,220 crore," the Railways confirmed. The Northern Railways which runs extensively there has reportedly incurred a revenue loss of Rs 891 crore with a daily average loss of Rs 14.85 crore. The Railways' freight loading suffered losses due to cancellations of trains and many of them being stranded in the outskirts of Punjab meant for Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir carrying essentials during the time frame of October 1 to November 19.The Railways stated that around 230 loaded rakes for Punjab are currently held up outside the state. These loaded rakes include 78 rakes of coal, 34 of fertilizer, eight each of cement and petroleum, oil and lubricants and 102 containers carrying steel and other commodities. Additionally, around 33 rakes are stuck in Punjab itself. Its been over a month and a half now since goods trains have entered Punjab, except for two days in late October when due to a shortage of essential goods, including fertilisers needed for wheat sowing and coal supplies for thermal plants, they were allowed to enter.Farm leaders have said that they have vacated the tracks, but some protests are still continuing at stations. The Railways has emphasized that it needs full guarantee from the state government that no trains will be disrupted and both passenger and freight trains will be allowed to operate. The farmers have said that while they will allow goods trains, they can give no guarantee about passenger trains.
