Mumbai: Central Railway recovers Rs 71 crore penalty from ticketless passengers

Central Railwayrsquos Mumbai Division has realised Rs 7131 crore in penalties from 1616 lakh passengers travelling without proper tickets during the financial year 2025ndash26 April 2025 to February 2026 as part of intensified drives against unauthorised travelAccording to the Central Railway ticketchecking teams carried out extensive inspections in suburban trains AC locals and Mail and Express services to curb ticketless travel and ensure safe and comfortable journeys for bona fide passengersRise in cases and penalty collectionThe number of irregular travel cases detected during the period increased by 2 per cent compared to 1590 lakh cases recorded last year while the total penalty amount collected rose by 4 per cent from Rs 6856 crore in the previous financial yearRailway officials said frequent ticketchecking drives across trains and stations have strengthened enforcement and helped discourage passengers from travelling without valid ticketsSecondclass coaches account for highest violationsSecondclass coaches accounted for the largest share of irregular travel cases detected during the period Between April 2025 and February 2026 Central Railway detected 1168 lakh cases in secondclass coaches collecting Rs 5860 crore in penaltiesDuring the same period 146 lakh cases were detected in firstclass coaches resulting in Rs 466 crore in penalties while 110 lakh cases were recorded in AC locals leading to the recovery of Rs 351 croreIn addition 50809 cases related to fare differences in Mail and Express trains were detected with Rs 298 crore collected in penalties The ticketchecking teams also identified 140 lakh cases of unbooked luggage resulting in Rs 156 crore in penaltiesAC local violations show sharp increaseCentral Railway currently operates 94 AC local services including 14 new services introduced on the Harbour Line this yearSpecial ticketchecking drives conducted in AC locals resulted in 110 lakh cases being detected and Rs 351 crore recovered in penalties with a daily average of 401 cases and approximately Rs 127 lakh collected per dayOfficials said this represents a 23 per cent increase in detected cases compared to 89799 cases last year while the penalty amount recovered rose by 18 per cent up from Rs 296 croreFebruary drive detects 165 lakh casesIn February 2026 alone the ticketchecking teams detected 165 lakh cases of irregular travel recovering Rs 858 crore in penaltiesOut of these 113 lakh cases were detected in secondclass coaches generating Rs 668 crore in penalties Another 12651 cases were recorded in firstclass coaches leading to Rs 4013 lakh in penalties while 12235 cases were detected in AC locals with Rs 3856 lakh recoveredAdditionally 16359 cases involving fare differences in Mail and Express trains resulted in Rs 9913 lakh in penalties while 10579 cases of unbooked luggage led to the recovery of Rs 1283 lakhRailway urges passengers to travel with valid ticketsCentral Railway said regular ticketchecking campaigns in suburban and longdistance trains not only help detect and penalise offenders but also act as a deterrent against ticketless travelThe railway administration has appealed to commuters to purchase valid tickets before travelling to avoid inconvenience and penalties Officials reiterated that the railways maintain a zerotolerance policy towards ticketless travel and remain committed to ensuring a safe comfortable and dignified journey for passengers