File Photo courtesy Indian Railways
Railways Announce Calibrated Passenger Fare Revision
Rail Fare Changes from Dec 26; Sleeper, AC Fares See Minor Rise
No Fare Hike for Local Trains as Railways Rationalise
New Delhi: Indian Railways has announced a calibrated rationalisation of passenger fares that will take effect for tickets booked from December 26, 2025, seeking to balance passenger affordability with the financial sustainability of railway operations. The revision, notified by the Ministry of Railways, has been structured to ensure that daily commuters and short-distance travellers remain unaffected, while longer journeys and higher classes see only marginal increases.
A defining feature of the revised structure is that suburban services remain completely untouched. There will be no increase in fares for suburban trains or season tickets, whether for suburban or non-suburban routes. This preserves fare stability for millions of commuters in metropolitan regions such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, where suburban rail networks carry the bulk of daily passenger movement. In the Mumbai suburban system alone, which carries over 70 lakh passengers daily, the unchanged fare regime ensures continuity for office-goers, informal workers and students who rely almost entirely on local trains.
For ordinary non-AC, non-suburban travel, Indian Railways has adopted a graded, distance-linked approach. Second Class Ordinary fares will remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 kilometres, insulating short-distance travellers across large parts of the country. This has particular relevance for states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where second-class ordinary trains are widely used for travel between district headquarters, small towns and rural markets. In states like Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, where a significant proportion of passengers undertake journeys under 200 kilometres, the decision effectively means no fare increase for the majority of everyday rail users.
Beyond 215 kilometres, increases have been kept modest. Journeys between 216 and 750 kilometres will see a flat increase of ₹5, while longer distances will attract stepped increases of ₹10 for travel between 751 and 1,250 kilometres, ₹15 for distances between 1,251 and 1,750 kilometres, and ₹20 for journeys extending up to 2,250 kilometres. For passengers travelling between states such as Delhi–Kanpur, Patna–Kolkata or Bhopal–Nagpur, the additional cost remains limited to a few rupees.
In Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary categories for non-suburban services, fares have been revised uniformly at the rate of one paise per kilometre. This change primarily affects longer inter-state travel common in migrant corridors such as Bihar–Delhi, Uttar Pradesh–Punjab, Odisha–Gujarat and West Bengal–Tamil Nadu, but the incremental nature of the revision keeps the absolute increase relatively small even on extended journeys.
Mail and Express services, which form the backbone of inter-state mobility, will see a slightly higher but still restrained revision. Across both non-AC and AC classes — including Sleeper, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier and AC First Class — the fare increase has been capped at two paise per kilometre. For a typical 500-kilometre journey in a non-AC Mail or Express train, passengers will pay around ₹10 extra, a figure that applies uniformly whether the journey is between Chennai and Bengaluru, Delhi and Jaipur, or Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam.
The rationalisation has also been applied consistently to the basic fares of premium and long-distance services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Gatimaan, Garib Rath, Antyodaya, Jan Shatabdi, Yuva Express, Mahamana Express and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, as well as ordinary non-suburban services. Officials have stressed that the revision has been carried out in a uniform, class-wise manner to avoid disparities across states or train categories.
Importantly, there is no change in reservation charges, superfast surcharges or other ancillary fees, a decision that limits the overall impact on ticket prices. The applicability of GST remains unchanged, and fare rounding rules will continue as before. This ensures that the revision is confined strictly to base fares and does not trigger cascading increases.
The Railways has clarified that the revised fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. Tickets booked earlier will not attract any additional charge, even if the journey takes place after the new fares come into force. Updated fare charts will be displayed at stations across states and on booking platforms.
From a broader perspective, the fare rationalisation reflects the Railways’ attempt to manage rising operational costs — including fuel, maintenance, safety upgrades and network expansion — while safeguarding its most price-sensitive passengers. By protecting suburban commuters and short-distance travellers in populous states, and limiting increases for long-distance and premium travel, Indian Railways has sought to maintain its role as the country’s most affordable mode of mass transport.
Carrying over two crore passengers every day across states, Indian Railways remains central to economic and social mobility. The revised fare structure underscores an effort to preserve that role while ensuring the financial viability of one of the world’s largest railway networks.
– global bihari bureau
