Indian Railways To Implement New Fare Structure From July 1; Long-Distance & AC Travel To Get Costlier, Local Trains Fares To Remain Unchanged

New Delhi/Mumbai: A big update for train passengers: Indian Railways will introduce a new fare tariff starting July 1, 2025. This change will affect regular and long-distance travelers the most. However, some categories will not see any hike.

Fare Hike Details

Second Class (General):

- No fare hike for journeys up to 500 kilometers.

- For distances beyond 500 kilometers, passengers will pay extra Rs 0.50 per km.

Mail/Express (Non-AC Trains):

An increase of Rs 0.01 (1 paisa) per kilometer.

AC Classes

Fares increased the most — now Rs 0.02 (2 paisa) more per kilometer.

No Change for Suburban & Season Tickets

Suburban Trains

No change in fares, providing relief to daily commuters.

Monthly Season Tickets (MST):

- No increase in rates.

New Ticket Booking System

Indian Railways is also testing a new ticket booking system. Currently, you find out if your ticket is confirmed only 4 hours before the journey. But soon:

The final chart will be released 24 hours before the journey.

Trials have started from June 6 in Bikaner Division (Rajasthan) on one train.

So far, the trial has run smoothly without any issues.

Railway officials say the system will be tested for a few weeks before full rollout.