Hyderabad: The Centre imposed an additional burden on railway passengers across the country as a fresh train fare hike came into effect from Friday, marking the second increase within five months.
The railway department had earlier raised fares in July this year. However, it rolled out another revision within a short gap, drawing attention from passengers.
The latest hike affected Mail and Express trains, AC classes and long-distance ordinary non-AC travel beyond 215 kilometres. However, suburban local trains and season tickets remained fully exempt, offering some relief to daily commuters.
The revised fares applied to Sleeper, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier and First Class coaches. The increase also covered premium services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains.
According to the Railway Ministry, the decision aimed to rationalise fares amid rising operational costs. Officials cited heavy expenditure on staff salaries, estimated at ₹1.15 lakh crore, and pension payments of around ₹60,000 crore.
The ministry said the fare revision could generate nearly ₹600 crore in additional revenue during the current financial year. At the same time, it stressed that the government continued to subsidise close to 50 per cent of passenger ticket costs.
Train fare hike slabs announced by the Railway Board
As per Commercial Circular No. 24, suburban trains and season tickets remain unchanged. Ordinary non-AC passengers travelling up to 215 kilometres will also continue to pay existing fares.
For longer journeys in ordinary non-AC classes, fares increased in slabs ranging from ₹5 to ₹20, depending on the distance travelled.
In the ordinary Sleeper Class, fares rose by one paisa per kilometre. Meanwhile, Mail and Express services recorded an increase of two paise per kilometre.
The hike applied to both non-AC and AC classes. It also covered premium long-distance trains.
The Railway Ministry clarified that passengers who booked tickets before December 26 would not have to pay the revised fares. It also confirmed that reservation charges and superfast surcharges remained unchanged.