• Source:JND

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging them to withdraw the proposed train fare hike and not to decrease the number of non-AC coaches. The train fare hike is scheduled to take effect from July 1, 2025. Passenger fares are set to be hiked from July, and the decline in the number of ordinary coaches has "taken away happiness" from the people, Stalin said, who travelled to Katpadi by train from Chennai.

The development comes after the Railways announced a nominal hike in passenger fares one paise per kilometre for non-AC classes and two paise per kilometre for AC classes.

ALSO READ: Delhi Horror: Jilted Lover In Burqa Kills Woman By Pushing Her Off Rooftop, Arrested

"Indian Railways is not just a medium of transport for the poor and middle class, but it is a part of their daily lives. When I reached the railway station today to go to Katpadi, I spoke to the people who welcomed me warmly. The usual enthusiasm and joy had diminished. The railway fares to be increased from July - and the reduction in ordinary class (non-AC) coaches - have robbed them of their joy," the chief minister wrote on X in Tamil, expressing his concern.

Ordinary train coaches need not be reduced in order to increase air-conditioned coaches, and rail fares also need not be increased, he appealed to PM Modi and Vaishnaw.

Middle class families already battle price rise and the recent hike in cooking gas prices, and their concerns should not be further increased by way of hiking the train fares, the CM said.

ALSO READ: Trump Draws Parallels With 'Hiroshima, Nagasaki' As He Warns Iran Against Restarting Nuclear Programme

"Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi and Honorable @AshwiniVaishnaw, on behalf of the people, I request them…Don’t reduce ordinary class coaches just to increase AC coaches. Don’t increase railway fares either," his X post read further.

Our middle class families are already suffering from price hikes of several items, including cylinder, he said, adding he requested the Centre not to increase their worries further. The Indian Railway isn’t just a service - it’s family, he concluded.