Revised Rail Fares Come into Effect, Aimed at Balancing Affordability and Operational Sustainability

New Delhi — The revised passenger fare structure of Indian Railways came into force on Friday, introducing a marginal increase of just 1 paise per kilometre for Sleeper Class and First Class Ordinary travel on non-suburban routes.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the revision has been designed to strike a balance between keeping travel affordable for passengers and ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of railway operations.

Fares for Ordinary Non-AC (non-suburban) services have been rationalised in a graded manner across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary categories. Notably, Second Class Ordinary fares remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 kilometres, ensuring that short-distance and daily commuters are not affected.

For longer distances, the fare increases are modest and structured as follows: journeys between 216 km and 750 km will see an increase of Rs 5; those between 751 km and 1,250 km will cost Rs 10 more; trips ranging from 1,251 km to 1,750 km will see a Rs 15 hike; and journeys between 1,751 km and 2,250 km will be charged an additional Rs 20.

The ministry clarified that suburban services and season tickets—covering both suburban and non-suburban routes—remain unaffected by the revision.

Mail and Express trains have witnessed a rationalised increase of 2 paise per kilometre across both non-AC and AC classes, including Sleeper, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier, and AC First Class. For instance, a 500 km non-AC Mail or Express journey will now cost approximately Rs 10 more.

Basic fares for 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.

The Railways have kept reservation fees, superfast surcharges, and other ancillary charges unchanged. GST applicability also remains the same, and fares will continue to be rounded off according to existing norms.

The revised fares apply only to tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. Tickets booked prior to this date will not attract any additional charges. Station fare lists will be updated to reflect the new rates, the ministry added.

With inputs from IANS