Railway Ticket Prices Set To Rise From December 26; Govt Expects Rs 600 Crore Extra Revenue

Indian Railways will introduce a revised fare structure from December 26, 2025, bringing in a marginal increase in ticket prices for long-distance travel. The move is expected to generate an additional revenue of around Rs 600 crore, according to official estimates.

The national transporter, India's second-largest employer, announced on Sunday that the fare revision will apply only to journeys exceeding 215 kilometres. Under the new structure, passengers travelling in Ordinary Class on routes beyond 215 km will pay an additional 1 paisa per kilometre. For Mail and Express trains, both Non-AC and AC classes will see an increase of 2 paise per kilometre for journeys longer than 215 km. There will be no fare hike for passengers travelling distances up to 215 km.

As an illustration, a passenger undertaking a 500 km journey in a Non-AC Mail or Express train will pay about Rs 10 more under the revised fares. The Railway Ministry clarified that suburban train services and monthly season tickets remain unaffected, a measure aimed at protecting the interests of low- and middle-income commuters.

The ministry also noted that the previous fare adjustment implemented in July 2025 has already generated around Rs 700 crore in revenue so far.

In terms of category-wise changes, suburban trains and monthly season tickets will see no change in fares. Ordinary Class journeys up to 215 km will also remain unchanged, while Ordinary Class journeys beyond that distance will attract an increase of 1 paisa per km. Mail and Express trains, both Non-AC and AC, will have a hike of 2 paise per km for journeys over 215 km.

Meanwhile, Indian Railways has planned extensive operations of special trains for the Christmas and New Year travel season of 2025-26. A total of 244 additional trips have been scheduled across eight zones to manage the expected surge in passenger traffic, with more services likely to be announced in the coming days.

Special trains are being run on high-demand routes connecting cities such as Delhi, Howrah, Lucknow and surrounding regions to accommodate long-distance travellers. On the Mumbai-Goa Konkan corridor, daily and weekly special services are operating between Mumbai CSMT or Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Karmali or Madgaon, offering extra seating and sleeper capacity. Additional special trains have also been introduced on routes including Mumbai-Nagpur, Pune-Sanganer and other key corridors in Maharashtra to ease congestion on regular services.

According to the ministry, these special services are aimed at enhancing capacity, comfort and convenience, enabling passengers to travel smoothly during the Christmas and New Year period while remaining well-connected to major cities, beaches and holiday destinations across the country.

The Railways Ministry also highlighted several recent developments in a release dated December 20. It stated that construction activity on the flagship high-speed bullet train project in Maharashtra has accelerated, with 100 per cent land acquisition already completed.

Between 2014 and 2025, Indian Railways has procured nearly 2 lakh wagons and added more than 10,000 locomotives to boost freight capacity and operational efficiency. Under the government's Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal policy, 118 new terminals have been commissioned so far, with an estimated traffic handling capacity of 192 million tonnes per annum. This information was shared by Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in responses to questions in the Lok Sabha.

The ministry further noted that railway electrification has progressed significantly, with around 99.1 per cent of the Broad Gauge network now electrified.