IRCTC Earned Over Rs 2,600 Crore in Convenience Fees in 3 Years; RTI Activist Alleges ‘Digital Scam’
Reported By Amit Singh
Pune, 28th May 2025: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) earned a total of Rs. 2,619 crore through convenience fees over the last three financial years, according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply provided to applicant Prafful P. Sarda.
The convenience fee revenue details disclosed by IRCTC are as follows:
FY 2022-23: Rs. 802 crore
FY 2023-24: Rs. 863 crore
FY 2024-25: Rs. 954 crore
The RTI had sought year-wise data of convenience and transaction fees earned by IRCTC from 2004 to 2025. However, IRCTC responded that data for the period from 2004 to 2014 is voluminous and not readily available. Similarly, for the years post-2014, only data from the last three financial years was provided.
In its reply, IRCTC stated that it collects only convenience fees and no separate transaction charges. The fees collected per ticket are as follows:
Rs. 15 plus GST for sleeper class tickets
Rs. 30 plus GST for AC class tickets
For payments made using Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) or Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the convenience fee is reduced to Rs. 10 plus GST for non-AC classes and Rs. 20 plus GST for AC classes.
Public Reactions
The RTI response has sparked reactions from various sections of the public and professionals.
Pramod Prajapati, a fruit seller in Pune’s Shivajinagar, told Punekar News:
“भैया काम धंधा छोड़ के जाकर टिकट बुक कर लेने में पैसा और टाइम दोनों बच जाता है और 30-40 रुपए में फटाक से टिकट मिल जाता है।”
(“Bhaiya, by leaving work for a bit and going to book the ticket physically, I save both money and time — I get the ticket instantly in just 30–40 rupees.”)
RTI activist Prafful Sarda questioned the rationale behind monetizing digital public infrastructure and stated:
“One side Government is pushing for digital services, and other side this digital infrastructure is being monetized without transparency. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw must answer on it and this ‘digital extortion’ from public should stop on priority.”
A Pune-based IT professional remarked:
“It’s become trend now in tech players to make huge money in the name of convenience fee and platform fee. It’s very obvious IRCTC also doing the same, looting the public in the name of fingertip services or door services.”
IRCTC Response
Responding to these concerns, an IRCTC official said,
“We are not keeping any hidden charges. Users are already aware of all the charges. On average, 7 to 8 lakh users book tickets daily through our website and mobile app.”
