Train travel to become more expensive from today; Railways issues notification on fare hike

New Delhi. The Ministry of Railways issued a notification on Thursday announcing an increase in train ticket fares. Traveling by train will become slightly more expensive from today. There is no increase in fares for second-class ordinary trains for distances up to 215 km. Under this increased fare structure, for journeys exceeding 215 kilometers, the fare for ordinary class has been increased by 1 paisa per kilometer, and for non-AC classes of Mail/Express trains and AC classes of all trains, the increase is 2 paise per kilometer.

The ministry had announced the decision to increase passenger fares on December 21, effective from December 26. This is the second time within a year that the Railways has revised passenger train fares. A fare hike was previously implemented in July. Justifying its decision, the ministry said that the objective of rationalizing fares is to strike a balance between affordable fares for passengers and the cost of operations.

Know how much the fare has increased in each category?
The Railways has clarified that there is no increase in fares for second-class ordinary trains for distances up to 215 km. For distances from 216 to 2,250 km, the fare has been increased by Rs 5 to Rs 20. The fare for Sleeper Class has been increased by 1 paisa per kilometer and for AC Class by 2 paise per kilometer.

The same increase will apply to other special trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Garib Rath, Jan Shatabdi, Antyodaya, Gatimaan, Yuva Express, and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, depending on the class. There is no change in reservation charges, superfast charges, etc. GST will also continue to be applicable as before. Travel Distance Fare Increase

0 – 215 km: No increase
216 – 750 km: 5% increase
751 – 1250 km: 10% increase
1251 – 1750 km: 15% increase
1751 – 2250 km: 20% increase

No impact on suburban trains
Indian Railways has revised train fares, effective from December 26, Friday. However, there is no change in the fares for single tickets on suburban trains. All types of season tickets, both suburban and non-suburban, remain unchanged.

The Railways has also clarified that the revised fares will only apply to tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. No additional charges will be levied on tickets booked before this date. The fare charts displayed at stations will also be updated to reflect the new rates effective from December 26.