Amrit Bharat Express key features: RAC scrapped, minimum fare for 2nd class now starts at ₹36 | Check ticket prices

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off five Amrit Bharat Express trains today. He will inaugurate 3 of these trains from West Bengal's Hooghly and the remaining two from Assam's Nagaon district. Connecting states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka with Assam and West Bengal, the new Amrit Bharat Express trains will link the northeast, eastern, central, western and southern India.

The trains scheduled for launch today are:

1. Howrah – Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express
2. Sealdah – Banaras Express
3. Santragachi – Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express.
4. Kamakhya-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express
5. Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Amrit Bharat Express

Ticket price of Amrit Bharat Express trains

Indian Railways introduced Amrit Bharat II Express trains services from January 2026 onwards. The Railway Board said, “It has been decided to introduce Amrit Bharat II Express (introduced from or after January 2026 onwards) over Indian Railways." These trains come with different fare structure in which the minimum chargeable distance has been fixed at 200 km for Sleeper class and 50 km for Second class.

The fare of non-AC sleeper is priced at ₹500 per thousand kilometres. “Non-AC sleeper travel priced at ~ ₹500 per 1,000 km, with no dynamic pricing,” the press release states. With lower fares for short and medium-distance journeys, the ticket fare does not come with dynamic pricing.

Notably, the basic fare for the new trains remains unchanged. For journeys up to 200 km, the basic fare for Sleeper class of the Amrit Bharat Express is ₹149 and for Second class journeys up to 50 km it is ₹36, Trak.in reported.

Indian Railways scraps RAC

One of the notable features of the newly launched Amrit Bharat II Express services is the scrapping of RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) tickets in the Sleeper class. Under the revised rules, all available berths will be fully confirmed from the beginning of the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) which implies that no RAC berths will be issued for Sleeper class travel.

No additional reservation quotas will apply in Sleeper class, even though standard quotas like Ladies, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Senior Citizen quotas will continue. However, other applicable charges, like reservation fee, superfast surcharge and GST will be added separately at booking.

Presently, 34 Amrit Bharat trains are in operation across the country. With the launch of five new Amrit Bharat trains, the number of such trains will go up to 39.

A total of nine Amrit Bharat Express trains will be inducted in Railway network over the two-day period as 4 new trains were flagged off on 17 January. Since its launch in December 2023, 30 Amrit Bharat Express trains operated as a part of the nationwide Railway network. Connecting border areas, major cities and pilgrimage centres, the new trains link the eastern and sub-Himalayan regions with major destinations across southern, western and central India.

Key features of Amrit Bharat II Express trains

Amrit Bharat trains come with disabled-friendly compartments and are non-AC. It features “11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 1 Pantry Car, and 2 Second Class–cum–Luggage–cum–Guard Vans.”

Key features of Amrit Bharat Express trains are listed below:

• Improved aesthetics of seat and berths similar to Vande Bharat Sleeper.
• It comes with jerk free semi-automatic couplers.
• Improved safety features.
• CCTV system in all coaches.
• Luggage room in all coaches.
• Improved toilets - installed with aerosol-based fire suppression system
• Improved ladders
• Improved LED light fitting
• Multiple charging sockets - USB type-A and type-C mobile charging sockets.
• Provision of EP assisted braking system.
• Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles.
• Emergency communication system for two-way contact between passenger and guard or train manager.
• Non-AC Pantry with enhanced heating capacity.
• Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment.

Prime Minister Modi on Saturday virtually flagged off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Tiruchirappalli

1. New Jalpaiguri- Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express
2. New Jalpaiguri- Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express
3. Alipurduar – SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express
4. Alipurduar – Mumbai (Panvel) Amrit Bharat Express.