New Delhi, 14 August—In a scathing audit report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found that the Indian Railways defrauded passengers collecting around ₹168 crore in superfast surcharge trains that did not meet the prescribed speed criteria.
The irregular collection took place between April 2022 and March 2023 and involved more than 190 trains, according to the latest audit findings. Under the rules of the Railway, a train can qualify for the superfast surcharge only if average speed in both the up and down directions is at least 55 kmph.
The average speed is determined using the end-to-end distance covered by a train and the corresponding journey time.
Despite the Railways acknowledging the discrepancy, the CAG to its dismay found that the surcharge continued to be collected.
According to the CAG, the matter was raised with the national transporter in August 2024, following which the Railways accepted the audit’s observations and informed the auditor about corrective measures being considered.
However, a subsequent examination of data from the Integrated Coach Management System (ICMS) showed that 100 of the 190 trains flagged by the audit were still operating below the 55-kmph threshold as of March 2026.
Passengers travelling on these trains continued to be charged the superfast surcharge, the CAG said, despite instructions issued by the Ministry of Railways in November 2025.
The continued levy indicates that the Ministry’s directions had not been fully implemented by the concerned railway zones, according to the audit report.
The auditor has called on the Railways to review and revise train schedules to ensure that the superfast classification accurately reflects actual operating speeds.
It has recommended that only trains meeting the prescribed speed requirement should be designated as superfast and subjected to the additional surcharge.
The findings raise questions over the implementation of Railway pricing rules and the mechanism used to ensure that passengers are charged additional fares only when the prescribed service criteria are met.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
