Mumbai: After rise in assaults, Western Railway to install CCTV at 200 suburban locations

Following the rise in cases of passenger misbehaviour and assault on ticket checking staff the Western Railway WR is installing a complete CCTV network at nearly 200 locations across the suburban network It will also help the vigilance department to monitor ticket checking operationsThe Mumbai Central Division of Western Railway is rolling out CCTV coverage worth Rs 2581 crore across ticketing offices counters and passenger interface areas railway officials saidOfficial records show that CCTV cameras will be installed at 29 Passenger Reservation System PRS centres at stations and 31 Unreserved Ticketing System UTScumPRS stations at a cost of Rs 712 crore strengthening security at some of the most crowded ticketing locations on the Mumbai suburban railway networkMore CCTV cameras will be installed at 68 UTS stations at a cost of Rs 1239 crore a move officials say is crucial to deter ticketless passengers threatening staff altercations abuse and physical threats faced daily by booking clerks and staff handling cash and ticketing disputesAdditionally CCTV cameras will be installed at 40 Head Ticket Collector TC offices and Travelling Ticket Examiner TTE lobbies across stations at a cost of Rs 630 crore improving safety for staff working late hours and during peak rush when tensions often run high while paying fines etcRailway officials say the combined Rs 2581 crore investment is aimed at creating a safer working environment for ticketing and booking staff who routinely deal with overcrowding fare disputes and aggressive behaviour when fined on the Mumbai suburban networkWhich areas does it coverLocations where CCTV cameras will be installed Mumbai Central division include 29 PRS stations and booking offices handling longdistance and reserved ticketing often crowded and cashintensive 31 UTScumPRS stations where both unreserved and reserved ticketing counters operate under one roof 68 UTS located at high footfall suburban stations where booking clerks frequently face rushhour stress fare disputes and crowd pressure 40 Head TC offices where ticketing staff work extended hours and handle sensitive cases TTE lobbies at stations rest and reporting areas37Total no of stations on WRrsquos suburban section200Locations where CCTVs will be installedVoicesSandeep More IT professional BorivlilsquoYou see arguments during ticket checks almost every day now One small dispute can suddenly turn violent CCTV is not about policing commuters itrsquos about protecting people who are duped by fake TCs etcrsquoMeena Iyer bank employee AndherilsquoMost commuters just want to get home peacefully When therersquos chaos during ticket checks everyone suffers Better security helps calm situations before they explodersquoShailesh Goyal former member National Railway Users Consultative CommitteelsquoIt is a nice move that will help catch offenders It will help the staff identify miscreants and also help to monitor staff activities They should also do it in RPF offices like this so that it is helpfulrsquoA history of violenceAugust 1718 2024AC local train ChurchgateVirarA passenger assaulted a TC after being asked to pay a fine for travelling without a valid ticket August 15 2024AC local train between Borivli and NalasoparaPassengers reportedly assaulted a TTE onboard an AC local An FIR was filedSeptember 21 2024 Nalasopara stationTicket inspector Vijay Kumar Pandit was attacked by a passenger wielding a hockey stickAugust 2 2025Borivli stationA ticketless man assaulted railway staff and damaged equipment in the ticket checkerrsquos office leading to police actionAugust 4 2025Kurla and Dadar stationsA woman allegedly manhandled onduty TC staff after being stopped for a ticket check she later apologised and paid the penaltyJune 28 2025CSMTThree passengers including a woman were booked for assaulting and pushing a female TCJanuary 1 2026Sewri stationTwo commuters assaulted a TC during a ticket check in a local an FIR was filed