A ticket from Amritsar to Pathankot, which was priced at ₹25, costs ₹55 now. After concerns were raised over a rise in the ticket fares of short-distance passenger trains, the railways on Wednesday said the “slightly high fares” are only to discourage unnecessary travel.
Since the coronavirus-triggered lockdown was eased, the railways is running only special trains. It started with long-distance trains and now, even short-distance passenger trains are being run as special trains.
As a special provision in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fares of these trains have been fixed at par with the price of unreserved tickets of mail and express trains for the same distance, a statement from the railway ministry said.