Argus News - Train Travel Gets Costlier From Today: 10 Key Changes You Should Know

New Delhi, Dec 26: The Railway Ministry has officially notified a revision in passenger fares, with new ticket prices coming into effect from today.

The move marks the first major fare adjustment in recent months, aimed at addressing rising operational costs and improving service quality across the network.

According to officials, the fare hike will apply to both suburban and long-distance routes, with varying increases depending on class of travel. While ordinary passenger trains will see a modest rise, express and premium services are expected to reflect a sharper adjustment.

Under the revised fares, passengers traveling up to 500 km in non-AC coaches will now have to pay an additional Rs 10 as notified by the Ministry of Railways.

The national transporter has also increased fares for Mail and Express trains in non-AC coaches by 2 paise per kilometer.

In line with the revision, AC class fares have been raised by 2 paise per kilometer as well. Officials explained that the hike is part of a broader effort to balance rising operational costs while continuing to invest in safety and modernisation.

However, the Ministry of Railways confirmed that fares for suburban services and Season Tickets—covering both suburban and non-suburban routes—remain unchanged.

Officials further clarified that in Second Class Ordinary, passengers undertaking journeys up to 215 km will not face any increase in fares. The exemption is aimed at minimising the impact on short-distance and daily commuters, even as broader fare adjustments take effect across other categories.

“The existing basic fares of major train services, including 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 (excluding AC MEMU/DEMU, where applicable), have been revised in line with the approved class-wise basic fare increases. The revision has been carried out uniformly and in a calibrated manner across applicable classes,” the railways said in a statement.

Railways Clarify: No Extra Charges for Already Booked Tickets

On Thursday, the Ministry of Railways announced that passengers who have booked their train tickets prior to December 26 will not be required to pay any additional amount following the fare hike. The clarification comes amid concerns from commuters about whether revised ticket prices would affect existing reservations. Officials emphasized that the new fares apply only to tickets purchased on or after December 26.

“In case of tickets already issued at pre-revised rates, the revised fare shall not be applicable on such tickets. Accordingly, difference of fare for journey on or after 26.12.2025 on such tickets shall not be shown in the reservation chart,” the railways said.


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Tickets issued by TTEs to be charged at revised rates

The Railways clarified that any new tickets issued by TTEs or ticket-checking staff on trains or at stations on or after December 26, 2025, will be charged at the revised rates.

New fare list to be displayed at railway stations

“The fare list displayed to the public at stations shall also be revised showing new fare effective from 26.12.2025. The changes which are required to be carried out in manual ticketing system if and in PRS, UTS, etc, shall be ensured.” the national transporter said.