Booking rail tickets online set to become costlier from Sunday

Service charges are set to return after being removed in the aftermath of demonetisation. These had been removed in a bid to promote digital transactions.

New Delhi: Planning to book train tickets using a smartphone or a computer? Be prepared to pay more as Indian Railways has opted to bring back service charges on its e-tickets from Sunday.

Service charges had been withdrawn in the aftermath of demonetisation in 2016 in a bid to encourage digital payments. Now, people looking to make payments for their tickets using the web will once again have to pay the additional amount. While the service charge imposed previously was at Rs 20 per ticket in non-AC coaches and Rs 40 for each ticket in AC coaches, these would be Rs 15 and Rs 30 now. 

News agency IANS quoted a Railway Ministry official as saying that service charges will be restored on tickets booked through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) as well. He also said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be applicable separately on each ticket.

Railway officials have said in the past that almost 33 per cent of the IRCTC revenue comes from the service charge collected on online bookings.