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| Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announcing the decision to hike in railway fares |
New Delhi: Indian Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Wednesday said his government
has endorsed a decision to hike railway fares saying it becomes “inevitable”.
As per the decision made fares of all classes to be hiked from
midnight of January 21 to net an additional Rs 6,600 crore a year, the first
such increase in a decade.
Elaborating the rational for fare hike, the Mr. Bansal said that basic
fares had not been revised upwards in the last ten years and is expected
to increase to Rs.25000 Cr in 2012-13.
The ministry is hopeful of raking an additional Rs. 1200 crore
between January 21 and March 31 this year with the announced proposal, the
minister said announcing the decision and did not rule out a hike in the
freight tariff.
Travel by Second Class Mail and Express trains will be costlier by
4 paise per km, while it will be 6 paise in Sleeper Class.
Travellers by AC Chair Car and AC Three Tier will have to shell
out 10 paise more per km, First Class by 3 paise, AC Two Tier by 6 paise and AC
First Class by 10 paise.
The fares for First Class, AC Two Tier and AC First/ Executive
Class were already raised by 10 paise per km, 15 and 30 paise respectively in
the current year's budget.
Fare hike in all classes are as below:
- Second class ordinary (suburban) fares up by 2 paise per km
- Second class ordinary (non-suburban) fares up by 3 paise per km
- Second class (mail express) - 4 paise per km
- Sleeper class - 6 paise per km
- AC chair car - 10 paise per km
- AC 3-tier - 10 paise per km
- AC 2-tier - 15 paise per km increased earlier + 6 paise per km
now
- AC first class - 10 paise per km increased earlier + 3 paise per
km
- AC first class executive - 30 paise per km increased earlier + 10
paise per km now