Indian Railways Charged ₹168 Crore Superfast Surcharge: Indian Railways collected ₹168 crore in superfast surcharge from passengers despite more than 190 trains not meeting the prescribed speed criterion for being classified as superfast services, according to the latest findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
The audit relates to surcharge collections made between April 2022 and March 2023. The CAG found that passengers travelling on trains that did not meet the required average-speed threshold were still charged the additional superfast surcharge.
Indian Railways levies a superfast surcharge on passengers travelling on trains classified as superfast.
Per the criteria mentioned in the CAG findings, a train needs to clock an average speed of no less than 55 kmph, in both directions up and down to be eligible. Now, the average speed is worked out from the end to end distance plus the relevant travel time, so basically distance over time.
The audit identified more than 190 trains that did not satisfy the required speed criteria but continued to have the superfast surcharge collected from passengers.
The amount involved was ₹168 crore for the period from April 2022 to March 2023, according to CAG findings that were reported on August 14, 2026.
Later, the matter was taken up with the Railways in August 2024, after which the national transporter accepted the audit contention, and notified the CAG about the rectifying measures that were being looked at.
The CAG reviewed the data from the Integrated Coach Management System (ICMS), and observed that 100 out of the 190 trains flagged during the audit were still running under the 55-kmph average speed threshold in March 2026.
The CAG also said that the Ministry of Railways had issued directions in November 2025 to deal with the problem.
But the fact that surcharge collection continued from trains operating below the required speed suggested, that these instructions hadn’t been fully rolled out by the relevant railway zones as of March 2026.
The CAG has recommended that Indian Railways revise train schedules and ensure that only services that actually satisfy the prescribed requirements are classified as superfast.
“Further scrutiny of Integrated Coach Management System (ICMS) data revealed that 100 out of the 190 trains pointed out by audit are still operating (Mar 2026) with an average speed of less than 55 kmph. Despite this, the concerned zonal railways continue to levy a superfast surcharge on passengers travelling on these trains, indicating that the instructions issued (Nov 2025) by the Ministry of Railways are yet to be implemented,” the CAG said.
The CAG’s latest observations also show that the issue was not limited to an isolated set of trains: 100 of the 190 trains identified in the audit were still below the threshold in March 2026, according to ICMS data.
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