First fare revision in five years will impact long-distance second class, sleeper, and AC train passengers; short-distance travelers remain unaffected.
New Delhi, June 30, 2025 –Starting July 1, the Indian Railways will implement a nationwide fare hike for long-distance passengers, marking the first such revision since 2020. The updated fare structure impacts second class, sleeper, and air-conditioned classes across various services, including premium trains.
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According to the Ministry of Railways, the adjustments are aimed at enhancing service quality and ensuring sustainable operations, while keeping fares unchanged for short-distance and lower-income travelers.
🚆 Revised Fare Details:
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Second Class (Unreserved):
- No fare hike for journeys up to 500 km.
- Rs 5 for 501–1500 km
- Rs 10 for 1501–2500 km
- Rs 15 for 2501–3000 km
- Mail/Express trains: 1 paisa/km increase
Sleeper and First Class:
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- Long-distance trains: 0.5 paisa/km increase
- Mail/Express trains: 1 paisa/km increase
AC Classes (Chair Car, AC 3-Tier, AC 2-Tier, Executive):
- 2 paise/km fare hike across services
Premium Trains Affected:
The revised fares apply to Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar and other special category trains. However, reservation fees, superfast charges, and GST remain unchanged.
🔒 New Rules for Tatkal Tickets:
Along with the fare hike, the Railways is introducing stricter Tatkal ticketing norms:
- From July 1: Only Aadhaar-verified users can book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC.
- From July 15: OTP-based Aadhaar authentication becomes mandatory for Tatkal bookings.
🎯 Why the Hike?
Railways officials state that the marginal fare increases are necessary to cope with rising input costs and to sustain modernization efforts. Ancillary charges and fare rounding-off practices remain unchanged.
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