Railway Budget 2012-13: Passengers fares hiked after 9 years

The Indian Railways will increase passenger fares by up to 30 paisa per km in 2012-13. This will be the first increase in passenger fare in nine years.

FULL COVERAGE: Railway Budget 2012-13 

"I propose to rationalise the fares," Trivedi said while presenting his ministry's Budget for 2012-13 financial year.

"I am asking for an extra only 2 paisa per km for suburban and ordinary second class, similarly an increase of three paise per km for mail and express trains and for sleeper class only by five paise per km," the minister said.

Trivedi said fares for AC chair car and three tier category will be increased by 10 paise per km, for two tier by 15 paise per km and for AC first class by 30 paise per km.

Presenting the annual Rail Budget for the financial year 2012-13 in Parliament on Wednesday, Trivedi made following key proposals: 

• Passenger fares to be hiked by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class travel; 3 paise per km for mail/ express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC chair car/AC 3-tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier and 30 paise per km for AC 1-tier.
• Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.
• 75 new Express trains to be introduced, along with 21 new passenger services, nine DEMU services and 8 MEMU services trains.
• Route of 39 trains to be extended and frequency of 23 trains to be increased.
• Railways to hire more than one lakh employees in 2012-13; 80,000 people hired last year.
• Indian Railways Stations Development Corp to be set up to re-develop stations and maintain them like airports.
• To set up an independent Railway Safety Authority as a statutory body.
• The open discharge toilets on trains to be replaced with green (bio) toilets.
• All unmanned level crossings to be done away with in next five years; to target zero deaths due to rail accidents

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