Indian Railways hikes long-distance train fares (again)
Indian Railways has raised long-distance ticket prices for the second time this year, starting December 26, 2025.
If you're booking a mail/express train now, expect to pay two paise more per kilometer for both AC and non-AC classes.
Second-class ordinary tickets get pricier too—one paisa extra per kilometer for trips over 215km.
Suburban trains and season tickets aren't affected.
How much more will you pay?
For second-class ordinary journeys, there's no hike if your trip is under 215km.
But if you're traveling farther: add ₹5 for 216-750km, ₹10 for up to 1,250km, ₹15 up to 1,750km, and ₹20 beyond that (up to a max of 2,250km).
On big routes like Delhi-Mumbai (1,400km), AC fares go up by ₹56; non-AC by ₹42; second-class by ₹16.
Why the hike?
Railways says these changes mainly impact sleeper and second-class travelers—basically most passengers—and are expected to bring in around ₹600 crore this year alone after a long stretch of stable fares since early 2020.