An official statement said that through systematic ticket checking drives, the railway apprehended passengers travelling without valid tickets, marking an increase of nearly 10 per cent compared to 28.01 lakh passengers during the same period last year
A total of Rs.183.16 crores was recovered in penalties Central Railway said. Pic/CR
Central Railway on Thursday said that during its intensified efforts to curb unauthorised and ticketless travel have led to achieving significant results during the financial year 2025-26 between April to December.
An official statement said that through systematic ticket checking drives, the railway apprehended 30.75 lakh passengers travelling without valid tickets, marking an increase of nearly 10 per cent compared to 28.01 lakh passengers during the same period last year.
A total of Rs.183.16 crores was recovered in penalties, over 20 per cent higher than the Rs.151.99 crores collected in the previous financial year, the officials said.
December 2025 figures highlight sharp rise
In December 2025, ticket checking teams caught 3.24 lakh passengers travelling without valid tickets, compared with 2.93 lakh passengers in December 2024, indicating a rise of more than 10 per cent, the statement said.
Penalties collected during the month amounted to Rs.18.25 crores, a jump of nearly 35 per cent from Rs.13.55 crores in December 2024, said the officials.
Division-wise performance
Pic/Central Railway
According to the Central Railway, during April-December 2025, its divisions reported the following figures --
- Bhusaval division: Rs.63.83 crores from 7.54 lakh cases
- Mumbai division: Rs.55.12 crores from 12.82 lakh cases
- Pune division: Rs.20.84 crores from 3.41 lakh cases
- Nagpur division: Rs.20.75 crores from 3.33 lakh cases
- Solapur division: Rs.8.39 crores from 1.81 lakh cases
- Headquarters: Rs.14.22 crores from 1.83 lakh cases
Multi-pronged strategy to stop ticketless travel
Pic/Central Railway
Central Railway employs station checks, ambush checks, fortress checks, intensive checks and mega ticket drives across all Mail/Express, Passenger, Special trains and Mumbai local trains.
The officials said that similar checks were also conducted at Pune suburban networks.
Passengers are urged to travel only with valid tickets purchased from authorised sources, including railway counters, ATVMs, the IRCTC website, or the Rail One app.
The railway emphasised that fraudulent tickets are punishable under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act 2023, with fines and imprisonment of up to seven years or both.
Central Railway reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for ticketless travel and reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe, smooth and dignified journeys for all passengers.
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