Passenger fares hiked by 2-30 paise :Railway Budget 2012

NEW DELHI: Announcing the fi rst hike in passenger fares in 10 years, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in his fi rst Rail Budget speech said that fares will go up nominally. Fare hike • 2 paise per km in ordinary second class and suburban services • 3 paise in mail/express second class • 5 paise per km in sleeper class • 10 paise per km in AC 3-tier, AC chair car, and non-AC First Class • 15 paise per km in AC two-tier; and 30 paise per km in AC fi rst class Concessions: • 50% concession to patients suffering from sickle cell anemia • All arjuna awardees to get free travel in Rajdhani and Shatabdi express • Izzat scheme – Rs 25 rail pass - travel distance increased from 100 km to 150 km • Platform tickets to cost Rs 5 SMS and e-ticket • SMS on passenger mobile phone in case of e-ticket to be accepted as proof of valid reservation. • Introduction of satellite based real time train information system (SIMRAN) to provide train running information to passengers through SMS, internet, etc.