Railway fare hike from Dec. 26

New Delhi: The Railways has increased train ticket fare by one paisa per km for journeys in ordinary class beyond 215 kms and two paise per km for non-Air Conditioned classes of Mail or Express trains and AC classes of all trains.

The new rates will be effective from Dec. 26. The hike is the second one in six months, making train travel in all AC and non-AC coaches of Mail and Express trains a little costlier after Christmas.

However, there will be no change in prices of tickets for Sub-urban trains and seasonal tickets for local passengers, like in July, when the last hike was made, which came after a gap of over 5 years. With the latest hike, the Railways is likely to mobilise Rs. 600 crore. 

According to officials, “Railways will earn about Rs. 600 crore this year as a result of this rationalisation of fares. Despite the second increase in ticket prices in the current financial year, passenger fares remain heavily subsidised by the Government to keep them affordable.” For a 500-km journey in both AC and non-AC coaches, passengers will have to pay only Rs. 10 extra after the latest fare revision, the officials added.