Indian Railway Codes and Manuals-Accounts code- Vol-II-Chapter-20 (XX)

 


Chapter XX

Check of Traffic Earnings

2001 The revenues of railways accrue mostly from the transport of passengers and goods traffic and are realized through the booking points located at stations, Goods Sheds, Private Freight Terminals, Container Depots, Out Agencies, Non Rail heads PRS/UTS Terminals, Private Sidings, and Non- Government (NGR) Lines, SPV Lines etc. where the transactions originate and are brought to account. In addition to revenue from transport of passenger and Goods traffic, Railway revenue also accrues from other sundry sources like parking contracts, publicity rights, award of right of way etc.

2002 Accounts check of traffic earnings- The essential duty of the Accounts Office in the matter of check of traffic earnings is to see: 1. That the party to whom the service is rendered pays the amount due as per applicable tariff rates 2. that the railway servants receiving payment, correctly accounts for the and 3. that, if more than one railway renders the service; the amount is apportioned between them as per approved methods of apportionment, unless otherwise provided for any specific traffic.

2003 It is the duty of the Traffic Accounts Office to issue Carriage bills for services rendered to Defence, Post &Telegraph, and other department, etc. and to realize the Railways’ dues from them either in cash or by book transfer as per extant arrangements, and to watch the outstanding on this account. It is also the duty of the Accounts Office to see that the rates and fares prescribed by the Railway Administration from time to time for the various classes of traffic are within the maxima and minima fixed by the President.

2004 Apportionment of earnings between railways - The earnings from the traffic carried over two or more railways are to be shared among them even though only one railway actually receives the money. The apportionment is made on the methodology indicated in the Chapters dealing with each kind of traffic. Apportionment of Earnings, for traffic carried over more than one Railway, is be carried out through the Centralized Apportionment system. The detailed Apportionment Matrix of outward and inward shares pertaining to each Railway is thus determined for adjustment of apportioned shares by Railways.

2005 Settlement of through traffic transaction- In case of through traffic, even though the traffic is carried by more than one railway a single voucher for the traffic is issued by the station from which the traffic originates. After the internal check of such vouchers, etc. is completed in the Accounts Office, the earnings are apportioned between the railways, on the basis of apportionment advised by the Apportioning Agency under Centralized Apportionment System to all the Railways involved in through traffic transactions. The settlement of through traffic transactions between the railways takes place monthly on the basis of net results of such apportionment advised by the Apportioning Agency under Centralized Apportionment System.

2006 Case of loss of revenue, or extra expenditure to be reported to the executive – In case where it is noticed in the course of internal check that owing to any reason the railway is losing revenue or is being put to extra expenditure, it is the duty of the authority exercising the check to bring the matter to the notice of the Executive or Worked Lines Contract Agreement Signing Authority. The work, so far as the traffic earnings are concerned, should be performed by the Traffic Accounts Office.

2007 Period for completion of traffic accounts- The period for the completion of accounts and for the settlement, among railways, of ‘through’ traffic transactions, is the complete calendar-month. To enable 5 the checking work to be distributed evenly throughout the month, certain station returns are required to be submitted by stations at stated intervals during the month. It is imperative that the work of the check of station returns remains up-to-date. Deficiencies noticed during check of returns are communicated to stations through Error Sheets. Failure in issuing timely Error sheets (A.2802) against stations or timely claims against other Railways and Government Department results in the claim becoming Time Barred and statistical compilations being delayed, which needs to be strictly avoided.

2008 Travelling Inspectors of Station Accounts- The check exercised by the Accounts Office is largely limited to an examination and comparison of the vouchers, accounts and returns sent by stations. To render it more complete and to verify that the accounts and returns submitted by the stations to the Accounts Office represent the actual state of affairs at the stations, a complement of staff designated as Travelling Inspectors of Station Accounts is attached to the Accounts Office under the charge of an Accounts Officer. The Travelling Inspector of station Accounts will inspect the initial records maintained at the stations in accordance with the instructions contained in Chapter XXXIII and Chapter XVII except that the scope of their inspection will be mainly confined to the earnings of the Railway. Regarding electronic data maintained in various IT Applications, TIA will inspect/verify various reports/MIS generated from such data. The Records at the field are also counter checked/verified vis- a-vis data available in Various Computerized systems. The TIA shall also check the various aspects of potential earnings/loss and suggest the same to the TA office for further advice/action.

2009 Some checks in respect of certain station returns, apportionment of earnings between the Railways, as also compilation of certain statistical returns have been computerized. The computerized processes being followed and details of checks exercised in the Traffic Accounts Office have been incorporated at appropriate places in this Volume.

Multiple choice questions:

What is the primary source of revenue for railways?

a) Parking contracts
b) Publicity rights
c) Transport of passengers and goods traffic
d) Award of right of way

Answer: c) Transport of passengers and goods traffic


2. What is an essential duty of the Accounts Office in checking traffic earnings?

a) To maintain the cleanliness of stations
b) To ensure that the party to whom the service is rendered pays the correct amount
c) To manage train schedules
d) To monitor the punctuality of trains

Answer: b) To ensure that the party to whom the service is rendered pays the correct amount


3. How should revenue from traffic carried over two or more railways be managed?

a) It should be retained by the originating railway
b) It should be split equally among all railways involved
c) It should be apportioned based on a Centralized Apportionment System
d) It should be kept by the railway that receives the payment

Answer: c) It should be apportioned based on a Centralized Apportionment System


4. Who is responsible for issuing Carriage bills for services rendered to Defence, Post & Telegraph, and other departments?

a) The station master
b) The Traffic Accounts Office
c) The Railway Board
d) The General Manager

Answer: b) The Traffic Accounts Office


5. How are earnings from through traffic transactions settled between railways?

a) Weekly
b) Annually
c) Monthly
d) Quarterly

Answer: c) Monthly


6. What should be done if it is noticed during internal checks that the railway is losing revenue?

a) The loss should be ignored if it's minor
b) The matter should be reported to the Executive
c) The issue should be resolved within the Accounts Office
d) A new policy should be implemented immediately

Answer: b) The matter should be reported to the Executive


7. What is the period for the completion of traffic accounts and settlement of through traffic transactions?

a) A calendar year
b) A calendar month
c) A fiscal quarter
d) A financial year

Answer: b) A calendar month


8. What is the role of Travelling Inspectors of Station Accounts?

a) To oversee station maintenance
b) To inspect initial records at stations and ensure they match the accounts submitted
c) To manage ticket sales at stations
d) To handle customer complaints at stations

Answer: b) To inspect initial records at stations and ensure they match the accounts submitted


9. What could be the consequence of failing to issue timely Error Sheets or claims?

a) The railway would save money
b) Claims could become time-barred and statistical compilations delayed
c) The railway could increase its revenue
d) Stations would have to resend returns

Answer: b) Claims could become time-barred and statistical compilations delayed


10. How should the Travelling Inspector of Station Accounts handle electronic data?

a) By ignoring it if the paper records are accurate
b) By inspecting and verifying various reports/MIS generated from such data
c) By delegating it to the station master
d) By storing it securely without further checks

Answer: b) By inspecting and verifying various reports/MIS generated from such data


11. How is the apportionment of earnings between railways carried out for traffic over multiple railways?

a) Through manual calculations by the originating station
b) By splitting the earnings equally between the railways
c) Through the Centralized Apportionment System
d) By the Accounts Officer based on estimates

Answer: c) Through the Centralized Apportionment System


12. What is the main focus of the check by the Accounts Office regarding traffic earnings?

a) The efficiency of train schedules
b) The accuracy of revenue reporting and apportionment between railways
c) The cleanliness of station premises
d) The satisfaction of passengers

Answer: b) The accuracy of revenue reporting and apportionment between railways


13. How often should the settlement of through traffic transactions occur?

a) Daily
b) Weekly
c) Monthly
d) Yearly

Answer: c) Monthly


14. What is a key responsibility of the Traffic Accounts Office?

a) Issuing tickets to passengers
b) Managing railway infrastructure
c) Issuing Carriage bills for services rendered to government departments
d) Coordinating train operations

Answer: c) Issuing Carriage bills for services rendered to government departments


15. What should be done with the findings from the Travelling Inspector of Station Accounts?

a) Report them directly to the General Manager
b) Ignore them if they are minor
c) Submit them to the Accounts Office for further advice and action
d) Discard them after each inspection

Answer: c) Submit them to the Accounts Office for further advice and action


16. In case of potential revenue loss noticed during checks, who should be notified?

a) The Station Master
b) The Executive or Worked Lines Contract Agreement Signing Authority
c) The Railway Board
d) The General Manager

Answer: b) The Executive or Worked Lines Contract Agreement Signing Authority


17. Why is the work of the check of station returns required to remain up-to-date?

a) To ensure station staff are always busy
b) To prevent claims from becoming time-barred
c) To reduce the workload of the Accounts Office
d) To avoid overcrowding of trains

Answer: b) To prevent claims from becoming time-barred


18. How are computerized processes incorporated into the Traffic Accounts Office?

a) They replace all manual checks
b) They are integrated with certain station returns, apportionment, and statistical returns
c) They are only used for ticketing
d) They are only used in the General Manager’s office

Answer: b) They are integrated with certain station returns, apportionment, and statistical returns


19. What is the purpose of the Travelling Inspector of Station Accounts checking computerized systems?

a) To introduce new software
b) To verify data against field records and potential earnings/losses
c) To train station staff
d) To update software regularly

Answer: b) To verify data against field records and potential earnings/losses


20. What happens if discrepancies are found during the checking of station returns?

a) They are ignored
b) They are communicated to the stations through Error Sheets
c) The station master is fined
d) The trains are stopped until resolved

Answer: b) They are communicated to the stations through Error Sheets

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