Indian Railways Revises Passenger Train Fares Effective July 1, 2025

The Ministry of Railways has rationalised passenger train fares, effective July 1, 2025, introducing marginal increases aimed at enhancing financial sustainability. These changes follow the updated Passenger Fare Table issued by the Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA).

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Key Revisions:

• Ordinary Non-AC (non‑suburban):

  • Second class: No fare increase for journeys ≤ 500 km. Beyond that, flat hikes apply—₹5 for 501–1,500 km, ₹10 for 1,501–2,500 km, and ₹15 for 2,501–3,000 km.

  • Sleeper and First Class: +0.5 paisa/km premium across all distances.

• Mail/Express Non-AC (Second, Sleeper, First class): +1 paisa/km.

• AC Classes (Chair Car, 3AC, 2AC, First/Executive, premium services): +2 paisa/km.

These increases apply to flagship services—Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Duronto, Humsafar, and others. Importantly, suburban fares, season tickets, reservation fees, superfast surcharges, and GST remain unchanged.

Implementation Details:

• New fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after July 1, 2025. Tickets issued before this date continue at previous rates.

• The PRS, UTS, and manual ticketing systems across all zones are being updated to reflect the revised fare structure.

Why the Change?

The fare revision—the first of its kind post‑COVID—signals Indian Railways’ intent to offset rising operational costs. Fare hikes of 1 paisa/km in non‑AC Mail/Express and 2 paisa/km in AC classes could help generate additional revenue while keeping travel affordable .

In summary, while short-distance travellers remain unaffected, marginal fare adjustments on longer-distance and AC journeys signal a balanced move toward fiscal prudence and passenger care.