Railway Ministry notifies train fare hike; new rates from Dec 26
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New Delhi: The Railway Ministry on Thursday formally notified an increase in passenger train fares, with revised ticket prices coming into effect from December 26. Under the new structure, fares have been raised by 1 paise per kilometre for ordinary class journeys beyond 215 kilometres, and by 2 paise per kilometre for non-AC classes of mail and express trains as well as AC classes across all trains.
The decision to hike fares was announced by the ministry on December 21, marking the second fare revision in a year. The previous increase was implemented in July. Explaining the move, the ministry said the fare rationalisation aims to strike a balance between passenger affordability and the long-term sustainability of railway operations.
According to the ministry, there will be no change in fares for suburban services and season tickets on both suburban and non-suburban routes. For ordinary non-AC, non-suburban services, fares have been revised in a graded manner across second class ordinary, sleeper class ordinary and first class ordinary.
In second-class ordinary, fares remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 kilometres to ensure that short-distance and daily commuters are not affected. For distances between 216 km and 750 km, fares will rise by ₹5. For longer journeys, the increase will be applied in slabs, ₹10 for distances between 751 km and 1,250 km, ₹15 for 1,251 km to 1,750 km, and ₹20 for 1,751 km to 2,250 km.
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The ministry said fares for sleeper class ordinary and first class ordinary services have been uniformly revised at the rate of 1 paise per kilometre for non-suburban journeys, ensuring only a marginal increase. In mail and express trains, fares 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, have been rationalised at 2 paise per kilometre.
As an illustration, the ministry noted that passengers travelling 500 kilometres in non-AC mail or express coaches will pay approximately ₹10 extra under the revised fares.
The official notification clarified that the basic fares of 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, have been revised in line with the approved class-wise increases. AC MEMU and DEMU services are excluded where applicable.
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 takes place after the revised fares come into force. Fare lists displayed at railway stations will also be updated accordingly.
Reiterating its commitment to passengers, the ministry said Indian Railways remains focused on providing safe, reliable and affordable travel, adding that the revised fare structure reflects a balanced approach that protects passenger convenience while ensuring operational sustainability.
With PTI inputs