Long-distance travel may get costlier

MUMBAI: Long-distance travel on Indian Railways may get dearer as railway minister Dinesh Trivedi has proposed to raise fares across all classes of trains, which could be the first such hike in a decade.
Second class fares for mail or express trains are proposed to be increased by a minimum three paise per passenger per km. The minimum distance for this charge is proposed as 60 km.In this category, the hike will range from Rs 3 to Rs 6.
For sleeper class, the proposed hike is five paise, with no change in minimum distance of charge. The AC chair car fares are proposed to be increased by 10 paise per passenger per km, with the minimum distance for charge being 150 km. For example, the Mumbai-Pune second class fare could increase from Rs 53 to Rs 60, while for sleeper class it could go up from Rs 100 to Rs 110, and Rs 212 to Rs 235 for AC chair car.
On the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector, the fare for second class and sleeper could increase to Rs125 and Rs 220, as against the earlier Rs 109 and Rs 197, respectively. In Duronto class trains, the fare for the same distance in the AC first class could increase from Rs 1,473 to Rs 1,620. For AC 2-tier and AC 3-tier , there could be a significant jump of up to Rs 880 and Rs 590, respectively. For the Mumbai-Howrah Duronto, the fare for AC 3-tier may go up by almost Rs 182 from Rs 1,468. For AC-I and AC-II , the fare may be Rs 4,235 and Rs 2,370, respectively.
In the AC 3-tier and first class category, the fares could be increased by 10 paise per passenger per km. For AC-3 the minimum distance of charge could be 300 km. AC 2-tier fares will go up by 15 paise per km, with again the minimum distance of charge at 300 km. The AC first class fare will go up by 30 paise per km, with minimum distance of charge at 300 km.
For the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani train, the fare could go up by almost Rs 430 to Rs 3,445 in the AC Ist class. In AC II tier, the fare could increase by Rs 213 from Rs 1,782. For AC 2-tier and AC chair car, the proposed fare is Rs 1,440 and Rs 1,165, respectively from the existing Rs 1,302 and Rs 921.
The fare on normal trains between Mumbai and Delhi may go up to Rs 1,205 from Rs 1,065 for AC 3-tier . For AC 2-tier , the hike could be to Rs 1,690 from Rs 1,477. For AC first class, the hike may be Rs 425 from the existing rate of Rs 2,501.
New trains
Western Railway
Bandra Terminus-Bhuj AC Express (Tri-Weekly ) | Bandra Terminus-Delhi Sarai Rohila Express (Weekly) via Palanpur | Phulera Bikaner-Bandra Terminus Express (Weekly) via Jodhpur, Marwar, Ahmedabad | Gandhidham-Bandra Terminus Express (Weekly) via Morbi | Jhansi-Mumbai Express (Weekly) via Gwalior, Maksi, Nagda | Porbander-Secunderabad Express (Weekly) via Viramgam, Vasai Road | Hapa-Madgaon Express (Weekly) via Vasai Road, Roha
Central Railway
Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak (T) AC Express (Weekly) via Katihar, Mughalsarai, Itarsi | Dadar (T)- Tirunelveli Express (Weekly) via Roha, Coimbatore,Erode | Visakhapatnam-Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) via Vijayawada,Manmad | Indore-Yesvantpur Express (Weekly) via Itarsi,Narkher,Amravati,Akola,Ka cheguda | Amravati-Pune Express (Bi-weekly ) via Akola, Purna and Latur | Sai Nagar Shirdi-Pandharpur Express (Tri-weekly ) via Kurduwadi | Solapur-Yesvantpur Express (Tri-weekly ) via Gulbarga
Full Coverage on Budget 2012: Budget 2012, Rail Budget 2012, Pre Budget 2012, Budget News 2012