Railways Hikes Fares For Long-Distance Train Travel
New fares: No hike for short trips, moderate increase for longer journeys
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-12-21 07:53 GMT
Longer train journeys will become costlier as the Ministry of Railways on Sunday announced a marginal hike in passenger fares, effective from December 26, 2025.
Under the revised fare structure, ordinary class passengers travelling beyond 215 km will pay an additional one paise per kilometre. For non-AC classes of Mail and Express trains, and AC classes across all trains, fares will increase by two paise per kilometre.
Officials further stated that the financial impact on passengers would be minimal, pointing out that a 500-km non-AC journey would cost only ₹10 extra under the revised structure.
Railway officials clarified that there is no increase in monthly season tickets for suburban trains, nor for ordinary class journeys up to 215 km on other trains. They said the fare revision is expected to generate an additional ₹600 crore in revenue for the Railways by March 31, 2026.
The ministry noted that the previous fare hike implemented in July 2025 has already generated about ₹700 crore in revenue.
According to the ministry, the fare rationalisation is aimed at strengthening railway finances amid rising operational costs. Expenditure on manpower has increased significantly, touching nearly ₹1.15 lakh crore, while the pension bill has risen to about ₹60,000 crore. The total operating cost of the Railways for 2024–25 is estimated at ₹2.63 lakh crore