Railway Fare Hike Takes Effect Today, Long-Distance Passengers to Pay More
Train Travel Becomes Costlier from Today as Railways Revise Passenger Fares: The Railway Ministry’s revised passenger fare structure will come into effect from Friday, bringing a marginal increase in ticket prices for long-distance journeys. The hike will apply to tickets booked on or after December 26, while tickets booked before this date for future travel will remain unaffected.
According to the official notification issued by the Railways on Thursday, fares for journeys exceeding 215 kilometres have been increased across several categories. In ordinary class, fares have been raised by one paisa per kilometre. For non-AC classes of mail and express trains, the hike is two paise per kilometre, while AC classes of all trains will also see an increase of two paise per kilometre.
Railway Ministry Revises Passenger Fares, Journey Costs Rise from Today
New Fare List – Second Class Ordinary
| Distance (km) | Fare Increase (₹) |
|---|---|
| 0 – 215 | No increase |
| 216 – 750 | 5 |
| 751 – 1250 | 10 |
| 1251 – 1750 | 15 |
| 1751 – 2250 | 20 |
The Ministry had announced the fare revision on December 21, stating that the new rates would be effective from December 26. This marks the second increase in railway passenger fares this year, following an earlier revision implemented in July.
Importantly, there has been no change in the fares of suburban services and season tickets, including both suburban and non-suburban routes. The ministry clarified that this decision was taken to ensure that daily commuters and regular travelers are not burdened by the hike.
Under the revised fare structure, ordinary non-AC (non-suburban) services have been reclassified into second class ordinary, sleeper class ordinary, and first class ordinary. For non-suburban journeys, a uniform revision of one paisa per kilometre has been applied to sleeper class ordinary and first class ordinary fares. Officials said this would result in a gradual and limited increase in ticket prices.
For mail and express trains, fares for both non-AC and AC classes—including sleeper class, AC chair car, AC 3-tier, AC 2-tier, and AC first class—have been increased by two paise per kilometre. This translates to an approximate increase of ₹10 for a 500-kilometre journey.
The notification further stated that the basic fares of major train services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Gatiman, Antyodaya, Garib Rath, Jan Shatabdi, Yuva Express, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, and other general non-suburban services have been revised in line with the approved class-wise fare structure. However, AC MEMU and DEMU services, where applicable, remain exempt.
Railway officials said the revision aims to balance operational costs while keeping fare increases minimal for passengers.
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