Indian Railways will be changing its fare structure from July 1, 2025. Short-distance and suburban routes will remain unchanged, while the long-distance traveller will be subject to a slight increase depending on class and distance.
So, while it will overall be more expensive travelling on a train in India, only some passengers will be affected. Indian Railways has announced revised fare structures to be in place from July 1, 2025. The fare hike provided is not across the board of all passengers – there will be no increase for a commuter on the suburban trains or with a monthly season, so at least commuters can rest easy on that front.
The new tariff will impact ordinary second class (for distances greater than 500 km), Mail/Express non-AC coaches and the AC classes.
Let’s Take A Closer Look Into The Changes Being Made:
Ordinary Second Class: No Increase Up To 500Km
If you’re a second-class rider, and you’re going up to 500 km, you won’t have anything to grumble about. The railways are not going to raise the fares to 500 km.
But if you’re going on a route greater than 500 km, the increase will be about a half a paise per km. For instance, for 1,000 km, it will cost you an extra Rs 2.50. Hope that helps.
Mail/Express (Non-Ac): Imminent Increase Of 1 Paise Per Km
If you’re a traveller on a non-AC Mail or Express trains, then the price will increase to 1 paise/km. For instance, now a 1000 km journey would cost Rs 10 more than before. While not massive hike, it is one that long-distance travellers will acknowledge.
Fare Fare Increase Of 2 Paise Per Km For AC Classes
All AC class passengers, which includes all AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, 2-Tier and First Class AC, will see fare price increase for 2 paise per km. For example, on a 1,000 km journey, you will pay Rs 20 more than whatever you used to pay.
What Is Not Changing
No increase in fares on suburban trains.
If you are a daily commuter on suburban rail services (like the Mumbai local or Kolkata suburban lines) you will not notice any impact at all. Fares will remain unchanged.
No Increase In Monthly Pass Fare
For commuters who depend on MSTs every day to travel to work or school, that provides some relief that fares have not changed even after July 1st. This is very good news for millions of commuters who rely on season ticket every day for their travel.
While the fare adjustments may seem small, they do accumulate over longer distances and frequent travel. There have been no updates from Indian Railways on fare changes for a long time, and this is probably a way of compensating for operational costs without detracting from the ability for daily commuters to travel.
The new fare table will take effect with travel on or after 01.07.2025. Bookings for tickets that are made beyond this date need to account for fares accordingly.
