Passengers may have to pay a higher train fare ranging from Rs 3 to Rs 50 to help Indian Railways raise a Rs 5,000-crore safety fund a year, according to the high-level rail safety committee that submitted its report on Friday.
The proposed cess is of a step up nature — with Rs 3-10 for non air-conditioned (AC) travellers and Rs 20-50 for AC passengers. But, in percentage terms, the story sounds different because the average non-AC traveller pays a highly subsidised fare.
For instance, in the suburban segment, the proposed cess is Rs 3 — less than what one pays for a cup of tea. But, as suburban train passengers pay an average of Rs 4.4 for a rail ticket, even this could mean a 68 per cent hike in fare. Similarly, for an average non-reserved second class train user, the Rs 6 surcharge could mean 10-30 per cent hike.
On the other end, for a first AC passenger, the Rs 50 surcharge would mean an average three per cent hike. Similarly, for the remaining AC travellers, Rs 20-50 surcharge would mean an average 2-5 per cent hike. For non-AC reserved segment, the proposal means a 3-7 per cent hike.