Strikes: Railways lost 40% business

The Indian Railways lost about 40 per cent of its business due to disturbance including Maoist violence and agitations.

"We have lost about 40 per cent of our business due to Maoist violence and agitations. These have affected railway operation to a great extent," Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the Rajya Sabha.

She was winding up the debate on the Railway Budget 2010-11. Indicating that Railway is becoming a soft target for violence, she said the situation was not the same earlier. Railways gross earnings were over Rs 80,338 crore (Rs 803.38 billion) during 2008-09.