An incident was reported in which a technical failure in the Indian Railways’ Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) mobile application allegedly resulted in passengers being fined for ticketless travel despite paying online, raising concerns about the reliability of digital ticketing.
Official Clarification Issued
However, according to official information, such cases usually occur due to mobile network failure on the passenger’s device. Therefore, it is incorrect to describe this as a technical failure of the UTS system. In most instances, the issue arises because the passenger’s mobile network becomes unavailable during ticket booking or ticket verification.
No System Defect
There is no defect in the UTS application, nor is the Railways at fault. This rule is clearly mentioned within the UTS system guidelines
Deduction Not Valid Ticket
Railway officials stated that deduction of money alone does not constitute a valid ticket. “As per transaction screenshots, the tickets were not booked. If payment was deducted as per bank message, it will be refunded within 7–10 working days. Passengers must verify tickets under the ‘Show Ticket’ section before commencing travel,” an official said.
Incident on February 17
“Mere deduction of money does not entitle a passenger to travel.” The incident occurred on the afternoon of 17 February 2026 involving Mumbai resident Neha Gohil and her brother.
Booking Details
According to the passengers, they booked two AC local train tickets from Mumbai Central to Borivali through the UTS app and paid Rs 190 online. After receiving payment confirmation from their bank, they boarded the AC local train.
Ticket Check at Matunga
However, at Matunga station, a ticket checker asked them to produce tickets. Although they showed the payment confirmation, the tickets had not been generated in the app due to a suspected technical glitch.
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Deboarded at Bandra
The ticket checker refused to accept the payment proof as a valid ticket and treated them as ticketless passengers. Despite requests for leniency, the passengers were deboarded at Bandra station and taken to the ticket checking office.
Penalty Imposed
Officials allegedly insisted on penalty payment, after which they were compelled to pay a fine for one passenger.
Railways’ Final Stand
Railways clarified that passengers must ensure tickets are successfully generated and visible inside the app before travel.
Officials reiterated that:
Bank debit messages are not valid travel authority
Only tickets visible in the UTS app qualify as proof of travel
Refunds for failed bookings are processed automatically
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