INCREASED RAILWAY FARES IMPLEMENTED

30-DEC-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA------------------------Increased railway fares implemented; no fare increase for suburban services and season tickets Minimal impact on passengers: 1 paisa per km increase in Sleeper and First Class Ordinary Up to 2 paisa per km increase in fares for Mail/Express trains in AC and Non-AC categories. No change in reservation charges or superfast charges under fare rationalization

Revised fares will apply only to tickets booked from December 26, 2025; no impact on previously booked tickets for future travel

The Railways has rationalized its passenger fare structure from December 26, 2025, with the objective of maintaining a balance between making fares affordable for passengers and ensuring operational sustainability. Under the revised fare structure, there is no change in fares for suburban services and season tickets, covering both suburban and non-suburban routes. For ordinary non-AC (non-suburban) services, fares have been rationalized in a graded manner for Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary.

There is no increase in fares for journeys up to 215 km in Ordinary Second Class, ensuring no impact on short-distance and daily commuters. For distances between 216 km and 750 km, the fare has been increased by Rs. 5. For longer distances, the increase has been implemented in a phased manner – Rs. 10 for distances between 751 km and 1250 km, Rs. 15 for distances between 1251 km and 1750 km, and Rs. 20 for distances between 1751 km and 2250 km.

For non-suburban journeys in Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary, fares have been uniformly revised at the rate of 1 paisa per kilometer, ensuring a gradual and limited increase in fares. Fares for both non-AC and AC categories in Mail/Express trains have been increased by 2 paise per kilometer. This includes Sleeper Class, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC Three-Tier, AC Two-Tier, and AC First Class. For example, for a 500-kilometer journey in a non-AC Mail/Express coach, passengers will have to pay approximately ₹10 extra.

The existing basic fares of major train services, including Tejas Rajdhani, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Tejas, Mahamana, Gatimaan, Antyodaya, Garib Rath, Jan Shatabdi, Yuva Express, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, and ordinary non-suburban services (excluding AC MEMU/DEMU where applicable), have been revised in line with the approved category-wise basic fare increase. This revision has been implemented uniformly and systematically across all categories.

It is important to note that there is no change in reservation charges, superfast surcharge, or other ancillary charges; these will continue to apply as per existing rules. The applicability of GST remains unchanged, and rounding off of fares will continue as per prevailing norms.

The revised fare will be applicable only to tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. Tickets booked before this date, even if the journey is after the effective date, will not incur any additional charges.

The fare charts displayed at stations will also be updated to reflect the new fares effective from December 26, 2025.