Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that Indian Railways does not treat passenger ticket fares as a trade secret and ensures that all fare-related information is publicly available.
In a written reply, the minister said details of railway fares are widely published and displayed on passenger tickets, fare tables, computerised ticketing systems and digital platforms such as the RailOne app. Any revisions or rationalisation of passenger fares are also announced publicly.
₹60,239 Crore Subsidy on Passenger Travel
According to the minister, Indian Railways provided a subsidy of ₹60,239 crore on passenger tickets during 2024–25, which translates to an average concession of about 43% for every passenger.
“In other words, if the cost of providing service is ₹100, the ticket price is around ₹57,” Vaishnaw said, highlighting that the subsidy benefits all passengers.
Apart from this general subsidy, Indian Railways also offers additional concessions to specific categories, including:
- Four categories of persons with disabilities
- Eleven categories of patients
- Eight categories of students
Transparent Fare Structure for Passengers
The Railway Ministry said that various components of ticket pricing – including base fare, reservation charge, superfast charge and GST – are clearly displayed on passenger tickets and through both physical and digital fare charts.
Passenger fares are determined after considering several factors such as cost of service, affordability for passengers and competition from other modes of transport, the minister said.
Affordable Fares for Vande Bharat Sleeper
The ministry also highlighted the fare structure of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, the first of which – the Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express – was launched on January 22, 2026.
The fare for the service is calculated on a per passenger-per kilometre basis, with the 3AC class costing around ₹2.40 per kilometre excluding GST. For a journey of 1,000 kilometres, the indicative fare is about ₹2,400.
The ministry noted that fares for Vande Bharat Sleeper trains range between ₹2.40 and ₹3.80 per passenger kilometre, which is significantly lower than comparable services in countries such as China, Japan and France, where fares typically range between ₹7 and ₹20 per passenger kilometre.
Passenger-Friendly Facilities for Special Categories
Indian Railways has also introduced several passenger-friendly measures to improve convenience, especially for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
These include automatic allocation of lower berths, subject to availability, for:
- Senior citizens
- Persons with disabilities
- Women aged 45 years and above
- Pregnant women
Railways also reserve six to seven lower berths in Sleeper class, four to five in 3AC and three to four in 2AC coaches for these categories. Dedicated quotas are also provided for persons with disabilities and their attendants in various train classes.
Modern Safety Features in Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains
The newly introduced Vande Bharat Sleeper trains come with modern coaches and advanced safety features, including:
- Jerk-free semi-permanent couplers
- CCTV cameras in all coaches
- Sealed gangways between coaches
- Improved fire safety systems
- Emergency communication units
- The indigenous Kavach train protection system
The Railway Ministry said that the introduction of new services, including Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, will continue based on route capacity, infrastructure availability, passenger demand and rolling stock availability, while ensuring affordable travel options for all sections of society.
