As announced by the Minister of Railways, Shri Lalu Prasad in his Budget Speech for 2008-09, several concessions in passenger fares have come into effect from today i.e. April 1, 2008.The Second class non-Suburban fares have been reduced by giving discount of Re 1/- in case of existing basic fares upto Rs. 50/-
per passenger. In case of fares beyond Rs. 50/- per passenger, it shall be reduced by 5 per cent. This will be applicable from April 1, 2008 for non-suburban Mail/Express including superfast trains and non-suburban ordinary passenger trains.
AC First Class :
It has been decided to reduce the existing fares of AC First Class by approximately 7 per cent during lean season and by approximately 3.5 per cent during peak season. However, reduction in fares for popular trains shall be approximately 3.5 per cent for all seasons.
AC 2-Tier Class :
It has been decided to reduce the existing fares of AC 2-Tier by approximately 4 per cent during lean season and by approximately 2 per cent during peak season. However, reduction in fares for popular trains shall be approximately 2 per cent for all seasons.
Fares for High Capacity Coaches :
Peak Season and Lean Season for the purpose of concession shall be as under :
Peak Season 1st April to 31st July and 1st September to 31st January
Lean Season 1st February to 31st March and 1st August to 31st August
In case of tickets already issued at pre-revised rates, refund of difference of fares will be admissible to passengers. The full refund of the difference can be taken either before commencement of journey or within three days of completion of journey from any PRS terminal.
The Ministry of Railways has also notified the list of popular trains which include
a) All Rajdhani Express trains
b) All Shatabdi Express Trains except Ajmer Shatabdi (2015/2016) and Chennai – Bangalore Shatabdi (2027/2028)
c) 514 pairs of trains of Time Table as notified separately
d) All Special Trains, which are not in Time Table but are run by Railways to clear passenger rush from time to time.