Indian Railways has announced a rationalization of its passenger fare structure starting December 26. The Ministry of Railways stated that the revision aims to maintain affordability for passengers while ensuring the sustainability of railway operations. The new fare structure maintains existing fares for suburban services and season tickets on both suburban and non-suburban routes.
Fares for Ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services have been adjusted in a graded manner across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary categories. In Second Class Ordinary, fares remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 km to minimize the impact on short-distance and daily commuters. For longer distances, fares increase gradually, with increments of Rs 5 for distances between 216 km and 750 km.
Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary fares have been uniformly revised at a rate of 1 paise per kilometer for non-suburban journeys, ensuring a controlled and gradual fare adjustment. Additionally, in Mail and Express trains, the fare increase has been standardized at 2 paise per kilometer for both Non-AC and AC classes. This adjustment translates to a nominal increase of around Rs 10 for a 500 km journey in non-AC Mail and Express coaches.
The revised fares apply to major train services such as Tejas Rajdhani, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, and others. The revision has been implemented uniformly and in a calibrated manner across applicable classes. Notably, there are no changes to reservation fees, superfast surcharges, or other ancillary charges, which will continue to be applied as per existing regulations.
The revised fares will be effective for tickets booked on or after December 26, 2025. Tickets purchased before this date will not incur any additional charges, even if the journey takes place after the implementation date. The fare list at stations will also be updated to reflect the new fares starting December 26.
