Title - Rail fare hike to be effective from today

The increased Railways ticket fares came into effect from midnight. With the latest increase, local train commuters also do not have to bother about carrying change as the hike is in multiples of `5, thus making change redundant.
Since rounding off the fares of second-class suburban trains to the next higher multiple of 5, the minimum fare will now be `5. While `6 fare would be rounded off to `5, the next higher multiple will be used for fares of `7, `8 and `9 tickets, thus increasing the fare to `10, and so forth.
Though the Railways has said that this rounding off provision will resolve the verbal spats between passengers and booking clerks, passengers feel otherwise. Rail activist and ZRUCC member Rajiv Singal said, “The Railways has hiked the fares in an inhumane way, rounding off could have been a bit rational.”
Occasional passenger Yadubansh Pandey said, “Does the hike in fares reduce the time which I spend in a queue to buy a ticket? Will I now be able to travel in a safer and convenient environment?”
However, the Railways also has plans to introduce coin-operated ticket (vending) machines at all suburban stations so that passengers can get tickets by inserting `5 coins.