Pay Rs 5-Rs 15 more for journey on AC local train

Your commute on the air-conditioned (AC) local is set to become dearer by Rs 5 to Rs 15, depending on the distance you travel, after the Ministry of Railways on Thursday decided to end the discounted fares. The revised fares will be charged from June 1.

The cost of a monthly pass will increase by Rs 50 to Rs 165. “No difference of fares will be collected on season tickets that have already been issued,” said a Western Railway (WR) spokesperson, on condition of anonymity.

According to WR officials, a single journey fare will cost a minimum of Rs 65 instead of Rs 60; while a single journey between Churchgate and Virar will cost a maximum of Rs 220 instead of the current fare of Rs 205. For a monthly pass, commuters will have to spend a minimum of Rs 620 instead of Rs 570, while the maximum amo-unt will be Rs 2,205 instead of Rs 2,040.

The first AC local was introduced on WR on December 25, 2017. The discounted fares were valid for only six months, but the ministry extended the offer thrice in two years, the latest extension coming last month. The offer was valid till May 31, 2019.

The revised fares also include supplementary charges like MUTP (Mumbai Urban Transport Project) and GST (Goods and Services Tax).

WR officials said since the introduction of the AC local, 54.58 lakh passengers have travelled on it, which has helped generate a revenue of Rs 23.92 crore.

Activists, however, were unhappy with the fare hike. “The Railways should lower the fares to optimise utilisation,” said AV Shenoy, a transport expert.

First Published: May 31, 2019 02:29 IST