06 October,2026 09:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Western Railway said the sustained checking was aimed at ensuring that passengers travel with valid tickets and follow railway rules across its suburban network. FILE PIC
Western Railway detected 15.49 lakh cases of ticketless and irregular travel, including unbooked luggage, during ticket-checking drives between April and September 2026, collecting fines worth Rs 116.52 crore, according to an official statement.
The railway zone said intensive checking drives were conducted across Mumbai suburban local trains, long-distance Mail/Express trains, passenger trains and holiday special trains to curb unauthorised travel, prevent revenue leakage and promote travel discipline.
In September alone, Western Railway detected more than two lakh ticketless and irregular passengers and collected Rs 16.09 crore in fines.
In the Mumbai suburban section, ticket checking drives detected 5.43 lakh cases of ticketless or irregular travel between April and September. The drives resulted in the collection of more than Rs 30 crore in fines.
Western Railway said the sustained checking was aimed at ensuring that passengers travel with valid tickets and follow railway rules across its suburban network.
Western Railway also intensified ticket checking on AC suburban local trains to prevent passengers holding general tickets from travelling in AC services.
Between April and September, around 97,000 penalty cases were detected on AC suburban services, resulting in the collection of Rs 4.33 crore.
This represented a growth of more than 170 per cent over the corresponding period last year, when around 49,000 cases were detected and Rs 1.60 crore was collected in fines.
Western Railway also conducted a video conference to familiarise staff across its divisions with the features of Shareable UTS Season Tickets.
The facility was introduced through the RailOne app from October 2, 2026. During the session, staff were briefed on procedures to verify the tickets to ensure proper validation and prevent misuse.
Western Railway said its ticket checking staff, under the supervision of senior commercial officers, had continued intensive drives across its network to prevent unauthorised travel, protect railway revenue and promote travel discipline.
The increased checking activity comes as railway authorities step up efforts to curb ticketless and irregular travel across Mumbai's suburban network. Central Railway has also launched a month-long ticket checking drive from October 1, with a focus on checking the authenticity of tickets issued under concessional fares, specified reservation quotas and various railway passes. The drive is aimed at detecting misuse of concessions and preventing revenue leakage.
