Mumbai: Railway passengers have to shell out additional Rs 10- to Rs 50 for ticket fares as user charges for availing state-of-the-art amenities at redeveloped stations in future.
As per letter issued by railway board class wise station development/ redevelopment fee shall be charged from the passengers. This fee will not be applicable on suburban passengers. Only non suburban passengers will need to pay station development/ redevelopment fee.
"This move is meant to help the Railways in raising funds for redeveloping more stations" said an officials .
Conferming the development Rajeev Jain, Additional Director General ( public relations) , ministry of Railways said, "As of now it is not being levied".
"Station development fee will be levied on redeveloped stations after their completion i,e. it will be levied at later date on a station after its redevelopment is completed", further added Jain.
According to a letter written by Vipul Singhal, director passengers marketing, railway board to the general managers of all zonal railways on December 31,2021 unreserved passengers ( non suburban) need to pay Rs 10 extra for the use of developed / redeveloped stations. Similarly second class , Sleeper Class, and firsr class reserved passengers on non air conditioned class need to pay Rs 25 extra for use of stat of art services of developed/ redeveloped stations. For air-conditioned reserve class passengers including AC chair car, 3rd AC , AC economy class, 2nd AC , First AC and AC Vistadome, this fee will charged Rs 50 per passengers .
Apart from that passengers who buy platforms tickets, will also need to pay extra Rs 10 for the use for developed/redeveloped stations.
For the alighting passengers at the such stations station developed fee shall be 50 percent of the rates mentioned above . If both boarding/ Alighting such stations in that case stations development fee shall be 1.5 times of applicable rate.
"Stations development fee shall be uniform across all such stations and shall be charged as a separate component plus applicable GST for which instruction shall be issued shortly " read the letter written by director passengers marketing of railway board to the general managers of all zonal railways.
"On the ticket this shall be charged by the name of station development fee. This fee shall be levied in full passengers basis irrespective of whether reserved/ unreserved tickets is issued to an adult or a child against concession or against different types of warrants/ vouchers fully reimbursable etc", further read the letter adding that station development fee shall not be applicable on privilege pass/ PTOs/ Duty pass etc. free complimentary passes which are not reimbursable.
