Ahmedabad and Surat Stations Sit on Crores in Revenue While Passengers Face Basic Amenity Drought, CAG Exposes

Ahmedabad and Surat generate massive annual revenues of Rs 530 crore and Rs 340 crore respectively, yet passengers passing through these major Gujarat hubs continue to face a glaring lack of basic infrastructure. A damning Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit has revealed stark system failures behind tall 'Amrit Station' modernisation claims, showing that even high-earning transport lifelines are plagued by poor upkeep and missing necessities.

Gujarat's High-Earning Stations Caught in Deficiencies

The nationwide CAG audit inspected 512 railway stations, highlighting a wider crisis where 89% of audited locations completely lack elementary provisions like functional ceiling fans, water coolers, safe drinking water, clean toilets, proper seating arrangements, and platform shelters.

For economic powerhouses like Ahmedabad and Surat—which pull in substantial annual incomes—this shortfall highlights a deep disconnect between local passenger contributions and station conditions. In the 2019-20 financial year alone, the railways amassed ₹160.87 crore nationwide solely from platform ticket sales. Despite this continuous inflow of cash from daily visitors, commuters on platforms are routinely denied basic comforts.

Here is a clear, clean table summarizing the financial and audit figures directly from the report that you can easily copy and paste into any document, email, or editor:

Unspent Budgets and Heavy Cancellation Charges

While commuters at busy junctions struggle with missing amenities, substantial financial allocations remain locked away. Over the last five years, a massive ₹11,478 crore allocated to the railways has gone unutilised.

"While development funds sit untouched in accounts, stringent ticket cancellation policies have extracted Rs 6,112 crore directly from passengers nationwide over a four-year window."

The severe contrast between dormant infrastructure funds and heavy collections from strict cancellation rules underscores pressing questions about fund prioritisation and passenger welfare across the rail network.