In a significant move aimed at balancing passenger affordability with operational sustainability, the Indian Railways announced a "rationalisation" of passenger fares on Thursday. The revised fare structure will be effective for all tickets booked on or after December 26, 2024.
Who is Protected from the Fare Hike?
The Ministry of Railways, in its official press release, has assured that a large section of daily commuters will see no increase in their travel costs. There will be no fare hike for suburban services and season tickets, which cover both suburban and non-suburban routes. This move directly benefits millions of urban and peri-urban commuters.
Furthermore, passengers travelling in Second Class Ordinary for journeys up to 215 kilometres will also not be affected. This ensures that short-distance travellers, who form a substantial portion of rail users, remain shielded from the price adjustment.
Detailed Breakdown of the Revised Fare Structure
For Ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services, the fare revision has been implemented in a graded manner to minimise the impact. In Second Class Ordinary, the increase is as follows:
- Distances between 216 km and 750 km: Increase of Rs 5.
- For 751–1,250 km: Increase of Rs 10.
- For 1,251–1,750 km: Increase of Rs 15.
- For 1,751–2,250 km: Increase of Rs 20.
For Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary in non-suburban services, fares will see a uniform increase of 1 paise per kilometre.
For the more popular Mail/Express trains, the increase has been capped at a modest 2 paise per kilometre. This applies uniformly across both Non-AC and AC classes, including Sleeper, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier/3E, AC 2-Tier, and AC First Class.
The Railways clarified that this translates into a minimal extra cost for passengers. For instance, a 500 km journey on a non-AC Mail/Express train will cost only about Rs 10 more under the new regime.
Which Premium Trains Are Included?
The revised basic fares will also apply to a wide array of premium and special train services. This list includes:
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). The new rates will also cover Anubhuti and AC Vistadome coaches.
Important Clarifications and Implementation
The ministry has added several key clarifications. Crucially, there is no change in reservation fees, superfast surcharges, or other ancillary charges. The rules regarding GST applicability and fare rounding also remain unchanged.
Passengers who have already booked their tickets have nothing to worry about. Tickets booked before December 26 will not attract the revised fares, even if the actual journey date is after the effective date. However, any ticket issued by Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) or booking staff on or after December 26 will be charged at the new rates. Fare charts will not display any fare difference for tickets booked under the old structure.
The updated fare list will be prominently displayed at all railway stations starting December 26. Necessary technical updates will be implemented across all ticketing systems, including the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) and Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS). The Ministry has instructed all zonal railways to ensure wide publicity and smooth implementation following concurrence from the Finance Directorate.
