Railway Fare Hike Sparks Controversy: Congress Demands Rollback

The Indian government announced a railway fare hike, prompting criticism from the Congress. They accused the government of secretly raising fares and burdening the poor. The fare increase, applicable from December 2025, aims to generate additional revenue but faces opposition for not being debated in Parliament.

The Congress on Sunday criticized the Indian government's decision to raise railway fares, labeling the move as a "surreptitious" attempt to burden the already struggling poor. The opposition called for an immediate rollback of the fare hike to prevent further strain on ordinary passengers.

The Railway Ministry announced an increase of 1 paise per km for ordinary class journeys over 215 km, and 2 paise per km for non-AC and AC classes across all trains, effective December 26, 2025. The government anticipates generating Rs 600 crore till March 2026, though controversy abounds due to the lack of parliamentary debate on the issue.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal condemned the government for avoiding a parliamentary discussion on the fare hike, accusing them of "harassing" the poor and middle classes. Venugopal cited overcrowded trains, frequent accidents, and revoked senior citizen concessions as additional grievances while urging for increased budget allocations instead of fare increases.

(With inputs from agencies.)