Railway fare hike from July 1: These trains are exempted - What about old tickets?

General

Railway fare hike from July 1: The Ministry of Railways on Monday issued a circular announcing a hike in passenger fares across various classes of mail and express trains. Starting July 1, 2025, the fares for non-air-conditioned (non-AC) classes will rise by 1 paisa per kilometre, while all air-conditioned (AC) classes will see a 2 paise per kilometre increase.The revision, which had been hinted at by officials on June 24, was confirmed with the release of an official fare table, detailing the new prices train-wise and class-wise.No hike for suburban trains and season ticketsIn a move aimed at protecting daily commuters, the ministry has kept fares for suburban trains and monthly season tickets unchanged. Similarly, for ordinary second-class travel up to 500 km, there will be no increase. For journeys beyond 500 km, the fare will rise by 0.5 paisa per kilometre.Sleeper and first-class passengers to pay morePassengers travelling in ordinary sleeper class and first class will now have to pay half a paisa more per kilometre. These revised rates will be effective from July 1 for tickets booked on or after that date.Premium trains also included in fare hikeThe fare revision also applies to premier and special trains such as: Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Mahamana, Gatimaan, Antyodaya, Jan Shatabdi, Yuva Express, AC Vistadome and Anubhuti coaches.These services will follow the new class-wise fare structure outlined in the revised chart.No change in reservation charges or GSTAccording to the ministry, there will be no increase in ancillary charges such as reservation fees or superfast surcharges. Goods and Services Tax (GST) will continue as per existing rules, and fare rounding-off practices will remain unchanged.Old tickets still validTickets booked before July 1, 2025, will remain valid at the old rates with no additional charges. The Passenger Reservation System (PRS), Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS), and manual ticketing methods are being updated to reflect the new fare structure.