With inflation already leaving a hole in household budgets, people waiting for trains at Ernakulam South and North railway stations on Wednesday criticised the hike in fare, proposed by Dinesh Trivedi in his railway budget.
As fare for passenger trains were raised by two paise per kilometer, travelling from Ernakulam to Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kottayam will become dearer by a rupee.
“The hike in train fares would add to the woes of the middle class. It means regular passengers like me have to shell out an extra Rs 25 each month,” said Jiji Mathew, a regular passenger between Ernakulam and Angamaly.
“One reason people choose the railways is the cheap fare but hikes like this will surely affect budget-oriented people.” Ms Mathew also expressed her disappointment at Mr Trivedi’s “lackadaisical approach” in improving safety in trains.
Satheesh Balan, another passenger, was a “little surprised” at the railway budget’s negligence towards the state. “Even if they offer something, not even half are implemented. So it does not matter what they offer,” he said.