Mumbai: Central Railway's recent ticket-checking drive in Mumbai's suburban network has once again highlighted the persistent issue of unauthorised travel in first-class coaches, with 159 passengers found travelling without valid tickets.
According to information shared by the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Mumbai Division, through Central Railway's official X account, ticket-checking staff carried out a focused enforcement drive in first-class compartments across Mumbai local train services. During the operation, 159 passengers were caught travelling in first-class coaches without possessing valid tickets or authorisations required for travel in the premium class.
Railway authorities imposed penalties amounting to Rs 50,575 on the offenders as part of the enforcement action. The drive was undertaken as part of Central Railway's ongoing efforts to curb ticketless and unauthorised travel on the suburban network.
The latest figures come against the backdrop of a much larger challenge faced by the railway administration. Data released by Central Railway revealed that the Mumbai Division, which operates around 1,820 suburban services daily, including air-conditioned local trains, detected as many as 1.34 lakh ticketless travel cases during April alone.
Officials further stated that 12,698 passengers were specifically found travelling unauthorised in AC local trains during the month. Enforcement teams recovered penalties totalling Rs 39.66 lakh from these violations.
The figures underline the scale of unauthorised travel across Mumbai's suburban railway network, particularly in first-class and AC coaches, which are intended to provide a more comfortable and less crowded travel experience for passengers who pay higher fares. Despite regular ticket-checking drives and penalty recoveries, the large number of violations continues to remain a concern for railway authorities.
Central Railway has been carrying out periodic ticket-checking campaigns across suburban services to improve compliance, discourage fare evasion and ensure that facilities meant for ticket-holding passengers are used appropriately.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
