Railways roll out second phase of fare rationalisation, shielding short-distance travellers
NEW DELHI: The Railways on Thursday rolled out the second phase of its recent fare rationalisation, introducing calibrated changes to the passenger fare structure with the stated aim of maintaining affordability while ensuring the long-term sustainability of operations. Confirming the implementation of the fare hike with effect from Thursday, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement, Under the revised fare structure, there is no change in fare for suburban services and season tickets, including both suburban and non-suburban routes. It added that fares for ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services have been adjusted in a graded manner across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary. Explaining the changes, the Railways said, In Second Class Ordinary, there is no increase in fare for journeys up to 215 km, ensuring that short-distance and daily commuters are not impacted. For distances from 216 km to 750 km, the fare increases by Rs 5. For longer journeys, the increase is applied in steps, Rs 10 for distances between 751 km and 1,250 km, Rs 15 for distances between 1,251 km and 1,750 km, and Rs 20 for distances between 1,751 km and 2,250 km. The Railway Board has issued directives to all principal commercial managers and senior zonal officials to ensure smooth implementation of the revised fares introduced through the rationalisation exercise. Railways rationalises passenger fares from December 26; non-AC travel to cost Rs 10 more for 500 km The Ministry further stated that fares for Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary have been revised uniformly at the rate of 1 paise per kilometre for non-suburban journeys, keeping the increase gradual and limited. Addressing Mail and Express trains, the Ministry said, In Mail/Express trains, the fare increase has been rationalised at 2 paise per kilometre across Non-AC and AC classes. This includes Sleeper Class, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier, and AC First Class. As an illustration, for a 500 km journey in non-AC Mail/Express coaches, passengers will pay only about Rs 10 extra. With the fare hike coming into effect, the existing basic fares of major train services such as 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 class-wise fare adjustments. According to the Railways, the revisions have been implemented uniformly and in a calibrated manner across the applicable classes. It was also clarified that there is no change in reservation fees, superfast surcharges or other ancillary charges, all of which will continue as per existing rules. GST provisions remain unchanged, and fares will continue to be rounded off according to prevailing norms. The Railways added that the revised fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after 26 December 2025. Tickets booked before this date will not attract any additional charges, even if the journey takes place after the revised fares come into effect.
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