Railway Ticket Cost Change: Railways has announced to increase train fare from 26th December. General class will remain cheaper up to 215 km, but fares per km will increase in long distance, non-AC and AC coaches. This will increase the annual income of Railways by Rs 600 crore.
Indian Railways Fare Hike 2025: If you are planning to travel long distance by train in December, then this news is very important for you. Under Indian Railways Fare Hike 2025, Railways has increased the train ticket fares from December 26. Although relief has been given for local train passengers, long distance journeys will now be costlier.
There was no change on tickets for what distance?
Railways said that there will be no change in general class tickets for distances up to 215 kilometers. This means that short distance journeys will remain the same. But now the fare per kilometer has been increased for distances more than 215 kilometers. Now 2 paise extra per kilometer will have to be paid in non-AC coaches of mail and express trains, while AC coaches have also increased by 2 paise per kilometre.
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How much will long distance train travel be affected?
As per the new rates, if you travel 500 kilometres, you will have to pay around Rs 10 extra for a non-AC coach. This will have a slight impact on the pockets of passengers, but the earnings of Railways will increase by about Rs 600 crore annually.
Why did the Railways increase the fare again and again?
The railways have expanded their network and operations over the past decade. The number of employees has been increased and the expenditure on employees has increased to Rs 1,15,000 crore. Rs 60,000 crore is being spent on pension. In such a situation, the total cost of the operation has become Rs 2,63,000 crore. Railways says that to meet the increased expenses, it is necessary to increase cargo loading and increase passenger fares.
How do the new rates match up with previous changes?
Railways had also increased the fare in July 2025. Then fares were increased by 1 paise per kilometer for non-AC classes of mail and express trains and by 2 paise per kilometer for AC coaches. Before this, train ticket rates had also increased on January 1, 2020. Then the fares of second class, sleeper and AC class were increased by 1, 2, 2 and 4 paise per kilometer respectively.
Will local train passengers face any increase?
Relief has been given for short distance or local train passengers. Tickets for distances up to 215 kilometers are available at the same price as before.
What should passengers do?
Railways is advising passengers to check the new fares and coach category information before traveling for long distances. If you are going to travel long distances then keep your budget in mind.