Indian Railways To Hike Fares From December 26: Long-Distance Passengers To Pay More

The Ministry of Railways has announced a hike in train ticket prices, effective from December 26, 2025. The increase comes as part to cover rising operational costs. These fares will apply primarily to long-distance travel, whereas fares for short-distance journeys and suburban commuters will remain unchanged.

According to reports, the fare for ordinary class passengers will increase by 1 paise per kilometre for journeys beyond 215 km. For non-AC classes of mail and express trains, as well as all AC classes, the increase will be 2 paise per kilometre.

According to a PTI report. there will be no change in fares for monthly season tickets of suburban trains and for ordinary class travel up to 215 km. The revised fares are expected to generate approximately Rs 600 crore for the Railways by March 31, 2026.

Also, passengers travelling 500 km in non-AC class will pay an additional Rs 10 under the new fare revision, which takes effect from December 26, 2025.

The Railways had previously increased fares in July 2025, with non-AC Mail and Express class tickets rising by 1 paise per kilometre and AC class travel seeing an increase of 2 paise per kilometre.

The ministry also stated that the previous fare revision in July 2025 has already contributed around Rs 700 crore in revenue to date, showing the effect of incremental fare adjustments on overall earnings.

In a statement, the Railways noted that manpower and pension costs have increased, resulting in a total operational expenditure of Rs 2,63,000 crore for 2024‑25, with manpower accounting for Rs 1,15,000 crore and pensions at Rs 60,000 crore, according to ANI.

With manpower costs on the rise, the Railways are prioritising higher freight and cargo operations while implementing limited passenger fare rationalisation.