In a partial rollback, the Railways today gave monthly pass-holders a major relief by reverting to 15, instead of 30, the number of trips for which they will have to pay for unlimited travel in a month.
They will still have to pay 14.2 per cent more as other passengers.
The Railways also said that the 14.2 per cent hike in fares will not apply to second-class suburban travel up to 80 km.
In a new order, the Railways said the fare hike in the unreserved segment will come into force from June 28 as against June 25 for all others.
These steps will benefit about 124 lakh daily suburban commuters, 61 per cent of whom are in Mumbai.
The rollback will mean the Railways foregoing revenues of ₹750-800 crore, according to a top official.
Maharashtra effect The rollback comes after the Maharashtra BJP unit joined its ally, the Shiv Sena, in demanding at least a partial withdrawal of the fare hike. The parties, now in the Opposition in the State, are readying to face Assembly elections in a few months.
Earlier in the day, BJP leaders met Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda. “The Railway Minister has assured us that the monthly season ticket decision will be re-considered very shortly and some measures will be announced within a day or two,” said Kirit Somaiya, BJP leader from Maharashtra.
Suburban impact Suburban commuters, unlike long-distance reserved passengers, are daily users of trains and would have been hit hard by the proposed fare hike. They also form a large vote bank.
For Mumbai, suburban trains are a lifeline, and hence the protest against the fare hike was the loudest in the city.
There wasn't much resistance to the fare hike in other cities.
The lukewarm reaction in Delhi to the hike can be explained by the fact that the metro rail system is a relatively recent phenomenon, with users having migrated from buses, autorickshaws, two-wheelers and cabs, which were anyway costlier modes.