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If you travel by train, there's bad news for you. Train fares are going to become more expensive. Yes, Indian Railways announced a fare hike on Sunday, under which the new fare structure will be implemented from December 26, 2025. The new structure will see an increase in fares. The Railways said that this change will bring them a revenue benefit of Rs 600 crore.

How much is the fare increase?
Under the new ticket pricing structure, passengers will have to pay 1 paisa more per km for journeys exceeding 215 km in ordinary class. For Mail/Express Non-AC and AC classes, passengers will have to pay 2 paise more per km. There is no increase in ticket prices for passengers traveling less than 215 km.
Meanwhile, passengers traveling 500 km in non-AC class will have to pay Rs 10 more for their journey.

Check the fare increase.

Category    Fare Change
Suburban Trains and Monthly Season Tickets    No Change
Ordinary Class up to 215 km    No Change
Ordinary Class more than 215 km    1 paisa per km
Mail/Express Non-AC Class    2 paise per km
Mail/Express AC Class    2 paise per km
Non-AC 500 km journey    Rs 10

These tickets will not see a fare increase.
However, Indian Railways has kept fares affordable for low and middle-income families. For this, the Railways have not increased the fares of suburban and monthly season tickets. According to the Ministry of Railways, the previous fare hike in July 2025 has generated a revenue of Rs 700 crore so far.

Significant expansion of the network
The Railways have significantly expanded its network and operations in the last decade. To meet the demands of high-level operations and improve safety, it is increasing its workforce. As a result, employee costs have increased to Rs 1,15,000 crore. Pension costs have increased to ₹60,000 crore. The total operating cost has risen to ₹2,63,000 crore in 2024-25.
Due to these efforts on safety and improved operations, the railways have been able to significantly improve safety. India has become the world's second-largest cargo-carrying railway network.

Special Trains for Christmas and New Year
Notably, apart from the fare hike, Indian Railways has planned to run special trains with 244 additional trips across eight zones during Christmas and New Year 2025-26. Considering the expected increase in passenger numbers, the ministry will announce more trips in the coming days.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Navbharat Times. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.