Train tickets price hike: Indian Railways has rationalised its passenger fare structure with effect from December 26, aiming to strike a balance between passenger affordability and the financial sustainability of railway operations, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Thursday.
The ministry clarified that there will be no change in fares for suburban services and season tickets, covering both suburban and non-suburban routes. This ensures that daily commuters and regular travellers remain unaffected by the latest revision.
Graded fare revision for Ordinary Non-AC services
For Ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services, Indian Railways has introduced a graded fare rationalisation across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary categories.
In Second Class Ordinary, fares remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 km, protecting short-distance passengers from any increase. For distances between 216 km and 750 km, fares have been increased by Rs 5. Longer journeys will see incremental hikes — Rs 10 for distances between 751 km and 1250 km, Rs 15 for 1251 km to 1750 km, and Rs 20 for 1751 km to 2250 km, the statement explained.
For Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary, fares have been revised uniformly at 1 paise per kilometre for non-suburban journeys, ensuring a modest and gradual increase.
Mail, Express and premium trains see calibrated hike
In Mail and Express trains, the fare increase has been rationalised at 2 paise per kilometre across both Non-AC and AC classes, including 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 and Express coaches, passengers will pay only about Rs 10 extra, the statement further explains.
The ministry said that basic fares of major 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 approved class-wise increases. The revision has been carried out uniformly and in a calibrated manner.
Importantly, no changes have been made to reservation fees, superfast surcharges, or other ancillary charges, which will continue as per existing rules. GST applicability also remains unchanged, and fares will continue to be rounded off according to prevailing norms.
The revised fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. Tickets booked before this date will not attract any additional charges, even if the journey is undertaken after the effective date. The fare lists displayed at railway stations will also be updated accordingly, the statement added.