Rail travel becomes expensive from today:Bhopal to Delhi journey will now cost ₹16 more; no extra charge on pre-booked train tickets

Rail travel has become expensive from today. This is because the railways have increased the fare by 2 paise per kilometer. After the new changes, if you are booking a ticket to travel more than 215 kilometers, you will get the ticket at the increased price. Accordingly, if you are booking a ticket for a distance of 1000 kilometers, you will have to pay 20 rupees extra. However, if you have booked a ticket before today, i.e., December 26, you will not have to pay any extra charge, nor will the revised fare be visible on your ticket. If you get a ticket made by the TTE on the train or at the station during travel today or after today, the increased fare will also apply. Also Read | Several trains cancelled after landslide on rail-route in Tamil Nadu Fare has not increased for daily passes and short distances There has been no change in the fare for those traveling less than 215 kilometers and monthly season ticket holders (passes). Railways estimates that this change will generate an additional income of 600 crore rupees annually. Railways announced this on December 21. Also Read | IRCTC cuts Rail Neer price ahead of GST rollout Relief for short route and season ticket holders Railways has provided relief to crores of passengers traveling on short routes. There has been no increase in fares for journeys less than 215 kilometers. This means that short-distance travel will remain as affordable as before. Additionally, there is good news for daily commuters. Railways has not made any changes to the prices of sub-urban trains and Monthly Season Tickets (MST). This will not burden millions of passengers traveling by local trains in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai. Why did Railways need to increase fares? According to sources in the Ministry of Railways, this fare hike is necessary to cover the increasing operational costs and to fund infrastructure development projects. Railways is continuously working to improve its services, introduce new trains, and modernize stations. The additional income of Rs 600 crore generated from this fare hike will be used for these very purposes. It is the country’s second-largest employer, and maintaining its network incurs huge expenses. Fare increased for the second time this year Prior to this, on July 1st this year, the government had increased rail fares. At that time, the fare for non-AC Mail/Express trains was increased by 1 paisa per kilometer and for AC class by 2 paise per kilometer. Before that, passenger fares were increased in 2020. ​