Hyderabad Metro Rail to hike ticket fares from May 17; minimum fare to be ₹12, maximum ₹75

L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad announces first fare hike in 7.5 years, with rates increasing from ₹1 to ₹15

L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), which has built and runs the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), has for the first time announced a ticket fare hike from two rupees on the minimum fare of ₹10, to ₹15 for the maximum fare of ₹60, effective from May 17.

In a press release on Thursday (May 15, 2025), managing director and chief executive officer K.V.B. Reddy said the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) had recommended the following revised rate structure, striking a “fine balance” between affordability and financial sustainability.

The FFC under the chairmanship of a former High Court Judge, was constituted by the Centre on September 5, 2002, and it had recommended a revised fare structure on January 25, 2023. These recommendations made are “binding” on the Metro Railway Administration or L&MRH, he maintained.

Mr. Reddy has requested “kind cooperation” from the passengers in embracing the revised fare structure, which is “essential for maintaining and enhancing the quality of Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) services for all”. The fare hike is about 20%-25% for the fares ranging from ₹10 to ₹60 currently.

The FFC had recommended a two-stage fare hike two years ago, within a gap of six months in February 2023. But, due to extraneous reasons including the general elections, the decision was put off. Ever since, L&TMRH has been waiting for an opportune time to implement the fares which are being raised for the first time after seven-and-a-half years of the project taking off.

“We just cannot afford to put off the decision anymore, having deferred the decision for the last two years. We are confident our patrons will understand the reasons for the hike and support us. We need funds to buy new train sets to increase the number of services during the peak hours in the morning and evening. Our losses too have been mounting over the years.,” said the managing director during a recent interaction.

Delhi Metro has already raised fares twice and Bengaluru metro — which took off during the same year as the Hyderabad Metro — has recently raised the fares by 45%. “Our fare hike, comparatively, is the lowest. We are expecting the ridership to improve exponentially once the phase two works are completed as it has happened in other cities,” added Mr. Reddy.