IRCTC shares jump 2% as Indian Railways to hike passenger fares from July 1

IRCTC shares jumped 2.2% in early trade on Wednesday, to their day’s high of Rs 772 on the BSE as Indian Railways is expected to hike passenger fares for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The fare revision, likely to take effect from July 1, 2025, will see non-AC Mail/Express train fares increase by 1 paise per kilometre, while AC class fares will rise by 2 paise per kilometre, sources told The Economic Times.

Notably, there will be no increase in fares for suburban tickets and second-class travel up to 500 kilometres. For distances beyond 500 kilometres, the hike will be half a paise per kilometre. Additionally, there will be no change in monthly season ticket fares.

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Indian Railways Fare Hike: Check Revised Ticket Price

Here are the revised fares that will come into effect on July 1:

- There will be no increase in suburban fares.

- Monthly season ticket prices will remain unchanged.

- In the ordinary second class, there will be no fare hike for distances up to 500 km.

- For distances beyond 500 km in ordinary second class, the fare will increase by half a paise per kilometre.

- In Mail and Express (Non-AC) trains, the fare will increase by 1 paise per kilometre.

- In AC classes, the fare will go up by 2 paise per kilometre.

Earlier this month, Indian Railways made a significant announcement requiring Aadhaar authentication for Tatkal train ticket bookings starting July 1, 2025. Through a directive issued on June 10, 2025, the Railway Ministry informed all railway zones that this new requirement is intended "to ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by the common end users."

The Railways' official notice stated that "With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under the Tatkal scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/ its app only by Aadhaar-authenticated users."

The ministry has also announced that beginning July 15, 2025, travellers will be required to complete an additional step of Aadhaar-based OTP authentication while booking Tatkal tickets.

The new guidelines establish limitations on Tatkal ticket reservations for authorised booking agents of Indian Railways.

These representatives are now barred from booking first-day Tatkal tickets within the initial half-hour window. The restriction is effective from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC class bookings and from 11:00 am to 11:30 am for non-AC class bookings.

The Railway Ministry has directed both the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC to make the necessary system modifications and communicate these changes to all zonal railway divisions. This initiative seeks to streamline the Tatkal reservation process for travellers.

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