Railway announces hike in train fares: New rate, date of launch and more
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The Indian Railways is all set to launch a new ticket pricing structure from the last week of this month. The ministry said there will be a 1-paise-per-km hike in tickets for ordinary class beyond a journey of 215 km. As for non-AC classes of mail/express trains and AC classes of all trains, there will be a 2-paise hike. The fares will be launched from December 26. They estimate a revenue gain of ₹600 crore from the change.
No hike in these fares
To ensure it doesn't affect low- and middle-income passengers, officials said there will be no change in the fares of monthly season tickets for suburban trains and in the fare for a ride up to 215 km in the ordinary class of other trains. The earlier hike, in July 2025, has generated ₹700 crore in revenue to date.
Also increasing manpower
The railways said that, as it has expanded its network and operations over the last decade, it is increasing manpower, and the cost is estimated at ₹1,15,000 crore. While the pension cost is ₹60,000 crore, the total operations have increased to ₹2,63,000 crore this year. To meet this, the railways are also focusing on higher cargo loading and a modest rationalisation of passenger fares.