Abhishek Vij
The Indian Railways, which was providing travel facilities and concessions to senior citizens, were withdrawn after the COVID-19 pandemic. The country was hoping that with the start of the new year, Indian Railways, the country’s primary and cheapest mode of transportation, would offer many more concessions to senior citizens and the general public. The entire year of 2025 was spent waiting for these benefits. However, news of trains derailing and accidents continued to surface. Now, just before the arrival of the new year, a new expense from the Indian Railways has been announced for the common man: rail travel across the country has become more expensive starting December 26th.
The only concession is that passengers traveling up to 215 kilometers will be charged the same fares as before. However, for those traveling beyond this distance, fares will be charged at the old rates. For general classes, fares will be charged at 1 paisa per kilometer and for other classes, fares will be charged at 2 paisa per kilometer. Experts believe that the increase will generate 600 million rupees in revenue for the Railways starting March 31st. The common man’s needs will also be met to ensure maximum convenience from the railways. Sleeping, seat reservations, and congestion fares have been increased. This is a billion-rupee fare until 2026, but how can we expect trains to be overloaded during festive occasions? When will the day come when Indian Railways enacts a law guaranteeing one ticket, one seat, guaranteeing a seat for every passenger? But that’s not happening; instead, online booking has further complicated the situation. If a seat isn’t confirmed until the last minute, skip the train and postpone your journey. There are no alternative options.
It should also be noted that Indian Railways has increased passenger fares twice in the past year. The first fare hike was on July 1st. Second-class sleeper and first-class fares were increased by half a penny per kilometer. This was the first increase since the pandemic. Now, just 5-6 months later, this is the second increase. Don’t think about the weight of one penny? Traveling from Delhi to Amritsar has increased by 10 rupees per ticket. The fares from Delhi to Jalandhar have increased by Rs.8 per ticket and Rs.7 per ticket to Ludhiana. But India’s trend is strange. Even paying more doesn’t guarantee that while the fares are higher, people will also receive better amenities.
The opposition claims that the Railway Budget could have been presented in February, when the fares were raised. But fares haven’t been increased since 2020. Over the past decade, the network has expanded, new railway lines have been laid, and significant investments have been made in trains and safety measures. Employee responsibility has increased. Rs.1.15 lakh crore is now being spent on human resources, and the total on pensions has reached Rs.60,000 crore. Operating costs have also risen, reaching Rs.2.3 lakh crore in 2024-25. Therefore, raising fares became necessary to keep the railways afloat. No one asks why operating costs have risen.
These days, it’s the era of artificial intelligence, mechanical intelligence, digital power, and robots. This era came about to reduce costs, but costs are increasing. Fares are rising. It’s true that the country is dreaming of the Vande Bharat Express and bullet trains. There are plans to expand the metro network to every city, but consider how many people are able to travel on increasingly expensive tickets. Railway development is welcome, but not at the cost of the common man. Couldn’t public-private partnerships in rail be further expanded? Only by thinking in this direction will the economic viability of rail services be maintained and they will become universal.