Central Railway’s Mumbai Division on Wednesday said that it has fined over 980 commuters travelling without tickets and recovered Rs 3.18 lakh in just eight days, officials said.
An official statement said that the Central Railway received strong public support for its focused ticket-checking drive in First Class compartments of suburban Mumbai local trains.
The special initiative, which ran from June 16 to June 2025, aimed to stop unauthorised travel and improve the experience for genuine First Class commuters.
The action followed repeated complaints from passengers about people travelling without proper First Class tickets or passes.
To tackle the issue, ticket-checking squads supported by Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff were posted in First Class compartments during morning and evening peak hours. These checks were carried out randomly across trains on the Main Line, Harbour Line, and Trans-Harbour Line, the statement said.
“A dedicated team of 41 ticket checkers and 7 RPF staff per shift checked 103 suburban services. During the drive, 984 cases of irregular travel were recorded, and fines totalling Rs 3.18 lakh were collected,” the official statement said.
Morning and Evening peak hours checks were conducted in First Class coaches on end to end basis randomly on trains in main line, Harbour line and Trans- Harbour lines, it said, adding that one of the key outcomes of this initiative was the remarkably low incidence of irregular travel in trains where checks were conducted, highlighting the strong deterrent effect created by the visible presence of ticket checking staff in the coaches and increase of revenue from ticket window sales.
There was also a significant drop in complaints related to irregular travel in First Class during the inspection period, the statement said.
The checks showed a sharp drop in unauthorised travel on the trains inspected, proving that the visible presence of railway staff acted as a strong deterrent. Ticket window sales also saw a 10 per cent rise, and complaints about ticketless travellers dropped significantly, it said.
Passengers welcomed the move, with many First Class commuters thanking the Railways for protecting their comfort and safety. Some passengers even helped officials by pointing out unauthorised travellers and assisting in penalty collection.
“The Central Railway has urged all passengers to travel with valid tickets or passes,” an official said.
