Rail Fares To Increase From July 1, Officials Say Lowest Hike In 12 Years

Train fares are set to increase marginally next month, Railway Ministry officials said. While the fare in non-AC class in Mail and Express trains will be hiked by 1 paise per km, tickets for travelling in AC classes will be dearer by 2 paise per km.

"As compared to the previous fare revisions in 2020 and 2013, the current increase will be the lowest," a railway official told news agency PTI. "As far as suburban train and monthly season tickets are concerned, it has been decided not to increase any fare in the interest of daily commuters," the official added.

The official said that second-class fare up to 500 km of travel will remain unchanged. For distances over 500 km, fares may be hiked by half paisa per km.

According to officials, train fare was last hiked on January 1, 2020. Then, second-class fare for ordinary and Mail/Express trains was increased by 1 paisa/km and 2 paise/km, respectively. Fares in sleeper classes and all AC classes went up by 2 paise/km and 4 paise/km, respectively.

"Before 2020, it was in 2013 when the train fares for all classes were revised significantly. For instance, the second-class fare for ordinary trains was raised by 2 paise and the second-class fare for Express/Mail trains increased by 4 paise. The sleeper class fare went up by 6 paise," the official said. "In 2013, all AC class fares, except AC II, were increased by 10 paise/km, and AC II fare went up by 6 paise/km."

July will see another major change in Railways, as the ministry has decided to incorporate Aadhaar-based OTP authentication into the ticket reservation system to cut off middlemen.

From July 1, Tatkal tickets through IRCTC's official website and mobile app will be available only to users authenticated with Aadhaar. Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will become mandatory for online Tatkal bookings from July 15.

Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System counters and through authorised agents will also require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.