Passengers in Indian Railways might soon be forced to cough up a little extra to travel in trains as the Railway Ministry is likely to increase ticket fares with effect from July 1. The officials privy to the issue say that the increase to be announced will be minimal so as to ensure maximum income is realized and minimal effect on commuters.
Due to the debated plan, the price of non-AC classes in both Mail and Express trains might rise by 1 paisa a kilometre, whereas AC classes have a designated rise of 2 paisa a kilometre. This would be the least fare increment based on the past reviews in 2020 and 2013, said officials.
Noteworthy, there is no foreseen issue with suburban train services and monthly season tickets. This is a step aiming at protecting the day commuters, particularly in the metropolitan areas where this kind of service is highly utilized, said one of the officials.
Unchanged will also be general second-class fares on journeys less than 500 km. But in this category, there is a possibility of a half paisa per kilometre increment in the charges of travelling above 500 km. This will bring extra revenue to the Indian Railways, but it will not be such a heavy burden to the travelers.
This fare revision will be the second time since January 2020, when the second-class fares under Mail and Express trains were revised up by 2 paise per kilometre, and the AC classes raised by 4 paise per kilometre. Also, the sleeper class fares were hiked by 2 paise per kilometer then.
Railway officials stressed that the fresh increase, in case of notifications, will be small and well-designed. A second official said, “the concept is to make it financially viable without compromising affordability.” The official announcement should soon be made.
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