Indian Railways is the lifeline for thousands of passengers every day. Though the operations have affected due to Covid-19, Railways has been trying to restart trains to as many locations as possible. Amidst all the efforts being pushed by the Railways, there have been some reports that suggest it is raising passenger fares.
When the information started to circulate, several news agencies picked it up and published it. However, there was no such announcement by the Indian Railways’ officials. Not only mainstream media but vernacular media also reported the same that caused an uproar among the travellers.
Is Railways increasing the passenger fair?
In a recent statement, Indian Railways dismissed the claims and said, “Certain sections of media have reported about the possibility of some hike in passenger fares. This news is baseless & without any factual basis. There is no proposal under consideration to increase fares. Media is advised to not to publish or circulate such reports.”
Certain sections of media have reported about possibility of some hike in passenger fares. This news is baseless & without any factual basis. There is no proposal under consideration to increase fares. Media is advised to not to publish or circulate such reports: Indian Railways
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2021
Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check department also issued a statement and said that the claim is fake and baseless. “There is NO proposal under consideration to increase the fares,” it added.
Claim: Several media outlets have reported that Indian Railways is planning to raise passenger fares from January 6, 2021.#PIBFactCheck: This claim is #Fake and #Baseless. There is NO proposal under consideration to increase the fares. pic.twitter.com/qkOxCejapx
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) January 6, 2021
Verdict: The claim of railways fare hike is FAKE.