By Anurag Paul

Indian Railways had to incur a loss of almost Rs 2,000 crore during the last four years due to passengers not travelling with a valid ticket revealed a ministry statement today.

A huge number which accounts to nearly 45 million people, or more than the population of Argentina, were caught travelling without tickets or with improper tickets over the last four years, leading to a loss of more than Rs. 1,915 crore. Northern Railways topped the chart in 2013-14, with more than 1.9 million people travelling without tickets or with improper tickets.

Ticket less travel is eventually one of the major nuisances faced by the Indian Railways, causing substantial losses to its passenger services. According to Railway ministry, losses have been increasing every year; from 10 paisa per passenger in 2000-01 to 23 paisa in 2012-13.

Central Railway lost the maximum amount (Rs 84 crore) from ticket less travel in 2013-14, followed by Northern Railway (Rs. 76.82 crore) and Western Railway (Rs. 75.44 crore) zones.

The Indian Railways which has one of the largest rail networks in the world is expected to earn more than Rs 50,000 crore over the next financial year of 2015-16.