New Delhi: The Railways has rationalised its passenger fare structure with effect from 26 December 2025, aiming to balance affordability for passengers with the sustainability of operations, the Minister of Railways announced.

Under the revised structure, suburban services and season tickets (both suburban and non-suburban) will see no change in fares.

For Ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services, fares have been revised in a graded manner across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary.

• In Second Class Ordinary, fares remain unchanged for journeys up to 215 km, ensuring short-distance and daily commuters are not impacted. For distances from 216 km to 750 km, fares increase by ₹5. Longer journeys will see stepwise increases: ₹10 for 751–1250 km, ₹15 for 1251–1750 km, and ₹20 for 1751–2250 km.

• In Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary, fares have been revised uniformly at the rate of 1 paise per kilometre for non-suburban journeys, ensuring a gradual and limited increase.

For Mail/Express trains, fares have been rationalised at 2 paise per kilometre across Non-AC and AC classes, including Sleeper Class, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier, and AC First Class. For example, a 500 km journey in non-AC Mail/Express coaches will cost about ₹10 extra.

The 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 fare increases. The revision has been implemented uniformly and in a calibrated manner across all applicable classes.

No changes have been made to reservation fees, superfast surcharges, or other ancillary charges, which will continue as per existing rules. GST applicability remains unchanged, and fares will continue to be rounded off according to prevailing norms.

The revised fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after 26 December 2025. Tickets booked prior to this date will not attract additional charges, even if the journey is undertaken after the effective date. Fare charts displayed at stations will also be updated to reflect the new rates.

Indian Railways remains committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable travel to millions of passengers daily. The revised fare structure reflects a balanced approach that safeguards passenger convenience while ensuring operational sustainability.

Commercial Circular can be seen at- https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/traffic_comm/Comm_Cir_2025/CC_24_2025.pdf

DeshGujarat