In a significant move, the Indian Railways has delivered a substantial reprieve to railway passengers by announcing a considerable reduction in ticket prices, reverting them to pre-COVID levels. Effective February 27, the decision aims to alleviate financial burdens on daily commuters, with ticket prices for MEMU/DEMU trains witnessing a notable 40-50% reduction. This comes as a welcome relief after passengers were subject to express fares for these journeys.
The railway authorities have reinstated Second Class Ordinary Fares for ‘Passenger Trains,’ now labeled as ‘Express Specials’ or ‘MEMU/DEMU Express’ Trains. This decision follows the discontinuation of ‘Passenger Trains’ during the COVID-19 lockdown, which resulted in a minimum ticket price hike from Rs 10 to Rs 30, aligning it with Express Train fares. The reversal was communicated to Chief Booking Reservation Supervisors and became effective from Tuesday morning.
Ordinary Class fares on Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains and those with numbers starting with ‘Zero’ have seen a remarkable 50% reduction. Additionally, changes have been implemented in the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) App to reflect the revised fare structure. This fare cut is applicable to all trains previously categorized as Passenger Trains, now operating as ‘Express Special’ or MEMU trains across the country.
Shivnath Biyani, a member of the Central Railway Passenger Advisory Committee, emphasized that ticket prices to various destinations have been slashed to half of their previous rates, a change that took effect on Thursday.
The increase in rail ticket fares was implemented four years ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the temporary cancellation of Passenger Trains to prevent overcrowding. Upon their reintroduction, passengers were burdened with express fare charges for their travels. Biyani noted that consistent demands from representatives and passenger associations have finally resulted in this welcomed reduction in prices.
