NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways is likely to introduce a marginal increase in the fares of AC and non-AC Mail, Express, and second class tickets, effective from July 1 this year.
A senior Railway official told the TNIE on Tuesday that the new fare structure will not "create a big hole" in passengers’ pockets. He added that no increase in suburban fare tariffs or Monthly Season Ticket (MST) prices is likely to be implemented.
The official said there will be no fare hike for ordinary second class tickets for journeys up to 500 km.
"But, the railways has planned to add just half a paisa per km for distances more than 500 km in ordinary second class journey," the official said.
Providing further details, the official said that a minimal hike of 1 paisa per km in the fare tariff for non-AC Mail and Express trains (of which there are over 13,000 running daily across the country) is likely, while a 2 paisa per km increase is proposed for AC class tickets.
The revision comes as part of Indian Railways' ongoing efforts to manage operational costs without burdening passengers, especially regular commuters and those travelling short distance.