New Delhi: In a rare decision just a month ahead of the Budget, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal effected an across-the-board hike in fares of all classes from midnight of January 21 to net an additional Rs 6,600 crore a year, the first such increase in a decade. However, there will be no increase in fares in February railway budget. Watch: Train fare hike from January 21 l The new railway fare list l Rail fare hike is a burden on us: Passengers
The proposals will rake in an additional Rs 1200 crore between January 21 and March 31 this year.
Losses in passenger segment were Rs.6159 Cr in 2004-05 which rose up to Rs.19964 Cr in 2010-11 (18% per annum) and expected to increase to Rs.25000 Cr in 2012-13.
The increase ranges from 2 paise per km for Second Class Ordinary (suburban) to 10 paise per km for AC First Class.
The hike in Sleeper Class: 6 paise while in AC Chair Car: 10 paise. AC 3-Tier hike is 10 paise. First Class increase is 03 paise. AC 2-Tier has gone up 06 paise and AC First Class by 10 paise.
The minister said that the hike was "imperative" to maintain and improve the safety measures and cleanliness of the trains as well as upgrade railway stations.
Railway had incurred a loss of Rs 22,000 crore in the passenger segment in 2012, an increase of deficit of Rs 4000 crore from the last year.
Earlier in 2012 Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi proposed a fare hike of about 15 per cent in the Rail Budget. However, it was rolled back as Trivedi drew wrath of Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee.
The shortage of funds has forced railways to curtail allocations for majority of projects.
Bansal was non-committal on freight tariff hike. "If passenger fares will be hiked then it will not be for the sake of raising fares, it will be done to improve passenger amenities," he had said after taking over in October 2012.
The new fare will be effective from January 21 midnight.
Following are the revised fares below:
• Rail fares: Delhi-Mumbai: Sleeper- Earlier: Rs 418 Now: Rs 501, AC-3- Earlier: 1162 Now: 1300. Rail fares: Delhi-Mumbai: AC-2- Earlier: Rs 1810 Now: Rs 1948, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 3120 Now: Rs 3161
• Rail fares: Delhi-Lucknow: Sleeper-Earlier: Rs 232 | Now: Rs 262, AC-3- Earlier: Rs 612 | Now: Rs 661. Rail fares: Delhi-Lucknow: AC-2- Earlier: Rs 910 | Now: Rs 959, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 1560 | Now: Rs 1575
• Delhi-Kolkata rail fares: Sleeper-Earlier: Rs 438 | Now: Rs 529, AC-3- Earlier: Rs 1219 | Now: Rs 1371. Rail fares: Delhi-Kolkata: AC-2- Earlier: Rs 1905 | Now: Rs 2057, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 3295 | Now: Rs 3340
• Rail fares: Delhi-Patna: Sleeper-Earlier: Rs 355 | Now: Rs 415, AC-3- Earlier: Rs 999 | Now: Rs 1099. Rail fares: Delhi-Patna: AC-2-Earlier: Rs 1490 | Now: Rs 1590, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 2555 | Now: Rs 2585
• Rail fares: Delhi-Jammu: Sleeper-Earlier: Rs 244 | Now: Rs 279, AC-3- Earlier: Rs 682 | Now: Rs 740. Rail fares: Delhi-Jammu: AC-2-Earlier: Rs 1030 | Now: Rs 1088, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 1745 | Now: Rs 1762
• Rail fares: Delhi-Bhopal: AC-2-Earlier: Rs 1155 | Now: Rs 1224, AC-1- Earlier: Rs 1970 | Now: Rs 1991. Rail fares: Delhi-Bhopal: Sleeper-Earlier: Rs 272 | Now: Rs 314, AC-3- Earlier: Rs 762 | Now: Rs 831
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed the hike in train fares and said the move was "unacceptable" and "atrocious".
"The government goes on increasing the price but they do not increase amenities and safety of the railways. It is absolutely unacceptable and atrocious," said Prakash Javedekar, BJP spokesperson.
Meanwhile. the Oil Ministry has proposed a Rs 3-4.50 per litre hike in diesel and Rs 100 in LPG rates along with raising the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to nine a year from the current cap of six.
The Ministry has moved a note for consideration of the Cabinet proposing options for meeting a record Rs 160,000 crore deficit arising from selling auto and cooking fuels below their cost.
The ministry's proposal, however, is unlikely to come up at tomorrow's Cabinet meeting.
According to ministry estimates, raising the cap to nine subsidised cylinders would lower savings to Rs 2,500 crore per annum, compared to the savings of Rs 12,000 crore estimated when six cylinders are issued at subsidised rates and the rest sold at market price.
Watch: Train fare hike from January 21 l The new railway fare list l Rail fare hike is a burden on us: Passengers
