Railways revise long-distance fares but keep suburban services unchanged
Over 70 lakh commuters rely on local trains every day. FILE PIC
Daily commuters on the Mumbai suburban railway can breathe easy. Indian Railways on Sunday announced a fare hike for long-distance passenger trains starting December 26, but exempted suburban train fares, including Monthly Season Tickets (MSTs).
The fare revision primarily targets mail, express, and ordinary class long-distance travel, while protecting short-distance and suburban commuters — a move that directly benefits lakhs of daily passengers on the Mumbai suburban railway network.
Railway officials noted that for most long-distance journeys between 215 km and 750 km, the additional burden would be around R5, keeping the hike minimal and affordable. As a result, a passenger travelling 500 km in a non-AC mail/express coach will pay R10 more than earlier.
No change for Mumbai
The decision to leave suburban fares untouched is particularly significant for Mumbai, where over 70 lakh commuters rely on local trains every day. Any fare hike in suburban services often has a cascading impact on household budgets, especially for officegoers, students, and informal sector workers. Railway authorities said suburban services were deliberately excluded to ensure urban mobility remains affordable, especially amid rising living costs in metropolitan cities.
Need for fare revision
Officials cited rising operational and infrastructure costs as the key reasons behind the limited hike, with the total railway operational cost for 2024-25 estimated at R2.63 lakh crore. Over the last 11 years, Indian Railways added around 3400 km of new track, which has led to increased expenditure on safety upgrades, staff costs, maintenance, and rolling stock. There has also been the deployment of a record number of holiday special trains to manage passenger demand.
Previous fare hikes
The previous major fare revision took place in 2013, when fares were increased by nearly 10 paise per km. A minor or negligible revision followed in 2020, with suburban services remaining untouched even then.
Revenue impact
The Railways expect the current revision to generate around R600 crore in additional revenue over the next four months, funds that will be channelled towards safety improvements, infrastructure expansion, and service reliability.
Change in fare
>> No increase for suburban train travel, including MSTs
>> No fare hike for ordinary (general) class journeys up to 215 km
For journeys beyond 215 km...
>> Ordinary class (non-AC passenger trains): 1 paise per km
>> Mail/express trains (non-AC and AC): 2 paise per km
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