NE BUSINESS BUREAU
NEW DELHI/CHENNAI, DEC 25
Indian Railways has rationalised its passenger fare structure with effect from 26 December 2025, ensuring that affordability for passengers—especially daily commuters—remains protected while supporting the long-term sustainability of railway operations.
In a major relief, there is no change in fares for suburban train services and Season Tickets, covering both suburban and non-suburban routes. Further, Second Class Ordinary passengers travelling up to 215 km will continue to pay the same fare, safeguarding short-distance and essential travel for millions of rail users.
- Daily Commuters Protected: Suburban services, Season Tickets and Second Class Ordinary journeys up to 215 km remain unchanged
- Minimal Impact on Long Travel: Just 1 paise/km for Sleeper & First Class Ordinary; 2 paise/km for Mail/Express trains
- No Extra Charges Added: Reservation fees, superfast surcharge, GST and rounding rules stay the same
For longer Second Class Ordinary (Non-Suburban) journeys, fares have been revised in a graded and limited manner:
- 216–750 km: ₹5 increase
- 751–1250 km: ₹10 increase
- 1251–1750 km: ₹15 increase
- 1751–2250 km: ₹20 increase
In Sleeper Class Ordinary and First Class Ordinary (Non-Suburban), the revision is kept minimal at just 1 paise per kilometre, ensuring a gradual and passenger-friendly adjustment.
For Mail/Express trains, the fare revision has been capped at 2 paise per kilometre across both Non-AC and AC classes, including Sleeper, First Class, AC Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier and AC First Class. For example, a 500 km non-AC Mail/Express journey will cost only about ₹10 extra, underscoring the marginal nature of the increase.
The revised basic fares also apply uniformly across major services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Gatimaan, Garib Rath, Jan Shatabdi, Antyodaya, Yuva Express, Mahamana, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail and other Ordinary non-suburban services, in line with approved class-wise revisions.
Importantly, there is no change in reservation charges, superfast surcharge or other ancillary fees. GST applicability and fare rounding norms also remain unchanged, ensuring transparency and continuity for passengers.
The revised fares will apply only to tickets booked on or after 26 December 2025. All tickets booked before this date will remain unaffected, even if the journey takes place after the new fares come into force. Updated fare charts will be displayed at stations accordingly.
Overall, the fare rationalisation has been designed to shield daily and short-distance passengers, while keeping long-distance travel increases nominal, predictable and affordable.
