Georgian Railway raises Tbilisi-Batumi train fare

Georgian Railway on Saturday said it was raising the fare on the double-decker passenger train service between Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi and the Black Sea city of Batumi.

Starting on Monday, the cost of tickets will be ₾34 (about $11.5) for second class seats, ₾74 (about $25) for first class and ₾124 (about $42) for business class.

The company said there had been a “number of objective reasons” for increasing the fare, including “significantly increased” costs of electricity, train maintenance and materials, and noted it had used its own funds to subsidise passenger service fees over the years to avoid raising the fare. 

Its statement also said that despite the new fares, travel by train remained cheaper compared to alternative transportation options, as prices for the latter had been increasing “systematically”.

Fares for other services - between Tbilisi and Black Sea port city of Poti, as well as western cities of Zugdidi, Ozurgeti and Kutaisi - remain unchanged, with discounts for students, war veterans and railway employees also kept in effect, in addition to the 50 percent discount for children under 10 years of age.