Mumbai: In a ticket-checking drive conducted by Central Railway, authorities in the Mumbai division caught 9,509 passengers travelling without valid tickets and collected a total penalty of Rs 71.38 lakh in a single day.
According to information shared by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Central Railway, the drive was carried out on April 18, 2026. It is not yet clear whether the checking was limited to Central, Harbour and Trans-Harbour suburban lines or also included mail and express trains operating on the Central line.
Taking to X, DRM Central Railway wrote, "Yesterday on date 18/04/2026- 9509 without ticket, passengers caught and Rs 71.38 lakh penalty imposed on them in Mumbai div. Passengers are requested to travel with a valid ticket and travel with dignity."
Earlier in March, the Central Railway had conducted special drives at several stations, including Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Vashi, Bhandup, Mulund, Belapur and Byculla. Despite Mumbai's local trains being one of the most affordable modes of transport, ticketless travel and even cases involving fake AI-generated tickets remain a concern. The central railway collected fines totalling from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh in a day.
A recently released report by the Central Railway also showed that in FY 2025–26, Central Railway detected 41.90 lakh cases of ticketless or irregular travel, nearly 10 per cent higher than the 38.05 lakh cases recorded in FY 2024–25. Revenue from penalties also rose significantly, reaching Rs 251.91 crore, a 24 per cent increase from Rs 203.70 crore in the previous year.
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