Amrit Bharat Express train new fare structure: The Railways Ministry recently moved forward with its decision to introduce Amrit Bharat II Express trains, with services commencing from January 2026 onwards.
“It has been decided to introduce Amrit Bharat II Express (introduced from or after January 2026 onwards) over Indian Railways,” the Railway Board announced in its latest statement. Projected as a new-generation train service, the Amrit Bharat Express is expected to offer affordable and safe long-distance inter-state travel with modern passenger-friendly features.
Fare structure of new Amrit Bharat Express
In a significant update, Indian railways has revised the fare structure for the Amrit Bharat Express train. According to a report by The Indian Express, the national transporter has fixed the minimum chargeable distance at 200 km for Sleeper class and 50 km for Second class section of the trains.
The basic fare for the new Amrit Bharat Express trains across sections, however, will remain unchanged. The basic fare of the Amrit Bharat Express is Rs 149 for Sleeper class for journeys up to 200 km, and Rs 36 for Second class for journeys up to 50 km.
As per a letter sent to all Principal Chief Commercial Managers on January 15 which was accessed by The Indian Express, the Railway Board said that other charges including superfast surcharge and reservation charge shall be levied separately on customers during booking.
“Other charges like reservation charge, Superfast surcharge etc as applicable shall be levied separately. Rounding off of fare shall be made as per existing principle,” the letter stated.
Amrit Bharat II Express: Revised ticketing rules
The national transporter has also revised and updated some major ticketing rules. Notably, RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) will no longer be available in Sleeper class. However, tickets for unreserved Second class will continue to be issued as per existing provisions.
“There shall be no provision for RAC tickets. For unreserved second class, tickets shall be issued as per existing provision. All available berths will be available from the day of Advance Reservation Period(ARP),” the letter read.
Amrit Bharat train fare structure 2026: Refund policy
The Railway board has also revised its refund policy where they have actively given preference to digital mode of payments. “To enable initiation of refund within 24 hours of cancellation, for reserved tickets all payments shall be accepted only digitally. When a ticket is purchased at the window, the preferred payment mode shall be digital for ease of refund,” the Railway Board said.
“In case a customer is unable to make digital payment, the refund against cancellation will be made as per normal terms. For unreserved second class, ticketing shall be as per existing principles,” they added.
Amrit Bharat II Express: Fare structure limited to 3 quotas
As per the statement issued by the Railway Board, there will be only three quotas in Sleeper class. These are: Ladies quota, quota for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Senior Citizen quota. However, the eligibility of Duty Pass for Railway employees shall be at par with eligibility in Mail/Express type trains.
“No other reservation quota shall be applicable for this train. For unreserved second class, it shall be applicable as per existing principles,” it said.
New Amrit Bharat Express fare structure 2026: Lower berth policy
In a move aimed at humanising the seat allocation procedure, the railways has rolled out an update where it will allot the lower berths to children and senior citizens wherever possible.
According to the Railway Board, in Sleeper class, if a passenger is traveling with a child who does not require a separate berth, the system will, wherever possible, allocate a lower berth.
Meanwhile, for male passengers aged 60 years and above and female passengers aged 45 years and above, the system will attempt to automatically allot a lower berth, subject to availability and compaction.