Your train ticket could fall by ₹15 to ₹75 from January: Here's why

From 1 January 2027, more than 40 trains are reported to drop their superfast tag and run as regular express services. The list includes the Mahanagari, Pragati, Tulsi and Sapt Kranti trains. Transclew's count of published zone lists reaches at least 47. Most of the schedule stays similar, but train numbers and the surcharge change.

A superfast train must average at least 55 kmph on broad-gauge track, in both directions, across its whole run. Business Today says a Railways review found these services fell below that. Added stops, heavier traffic and single-line stretches can pull the average down. One Bhusawal officer cited 50 kmph, but the railway notice uses 55, Transclew reports.

Reports count 18 services in Central Railway, including the CSMT-Pune Pragati and the LTT-Ayodhya Cantt Tulsi. East Central Railway accounts for 20, including Sapt Kranti. Another eight are Uttarakhand routes, including Tanakpur-Delhi and Dehradun-Kathgodam, and the Goa Express is also listed. The Central and East Central notices weren't found on railway websites.

The superfast surcharge is a flat amount per passenger, not a distance-based one. Removing it would save ₹15 in second class, ₹30 in sleeper, ₹45 in AC chair car, 3-tier and 2-tier, and ₹75 in AC first class. A family of four in sleeper saves ₹120 a trip. Exact fare tables for each train haven't been published.

Downgraded trains get new numbers. Sapt Kranti moves from 12557/12558 to 15577/15578. Tanakpur-Delhi moves from 12035/12036 to 15317/15318. Transclew says Mahanagari returns to 11093/11094. If you're booking for January, search by route as well as number. Old numbers in a saved list may not show the train you expect.

Eight Tamil Nadu trains are moving up to superfast, a Southern Railway press release shows, including Chennai Egmore-Rameswaram and Tambaram-Tiruchirappalli. Passengers on those trains would start paying the surcharge. So January's change works in both directions, depending on which route you use.

No zone has published a revised fare table, and it isn't clear if surcharges already paid on January tickets will be refunded, Transclew says. Check IRCTC for the new number and fare before booking. Your journey time may not improve, because this is a classification change. It doesn't add speed to the train.