Terming the train fare hike as "shocking", Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he will speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request him to roll it back.

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"The fare hike is shocking. Sena MPs will follow up the issue to ensure that hike is called off," a Sena spokesperson quoted Uddhav as saying.

The poor cannot afford such a hike, Uddhav said. "If it's not possible to withdraw it, then at least reduce it." In one of the biggest hikes, cash-strapped railways yesterday raised passenger fares by 14.2% for all classes and freight rates by 6.5%.

The fare hike would be felt acutely in Mumbai where the cost of season passes of local trains, the city's lifeline, would go up two times or almost three-times on some routes.