Central Railway recovered Rs 159.34 crore in penalties from 20.47 lakh passengers travelling without tickets or with improper or invalid travel authority between April and September 2026, with its Mumbai Division accounting for the largest share of the collections.
According to figures reported by Central Railway, ticket-checking teams penalised an average of 11,184 offenders and recovered more than Rs 87 lakh daily during the six-month period. The railway said the enforcement drive was intensified across its network after the minimum penalty for ticketless travel was revised from Rs 250 to Rs 500.
The Mumbai Division recovered Rs 66.92 crore from 10.11 lakh cases, making it the highest-performing division on the Central Railway network during the period. Bhusaval Division recorded Rs 38.90 crore from 3.77 lakh cases, followed by Pune Division with Rs 18.68 crore from 2.13 lakh cases, Nagpur Division with Rs 17.93 crore from 2.36 lakh cases and Solapur Division with Rs 7.27 crore from 1.10 lakh cases. Railway headquarters recovered Rs 9.63 crore from 99,000 cases.
Central Railway recorded 20.05 lakh cases and recovered Rs 116.46 crore in penalties between April and September 2025. The railway said the latest figures represent an increase of more than 37 per cent in penalty earnings compared with the corresponding period last year.
The enforcement continued in September, when ticket-checking teams apprehended 2.44 lakh passengers travelling without tickets or valid travel authority and recovered Rs 18.53 crore in penalties. The checks covered Mail, Express, Passenger and Special trains, as well as suburban services in the Mumbai and Pune divisions.
Central Railway said its enforcement programme includes station checks, ambush checks, fortress checks, intensive checks and mega ticket-checking drives. These operations are intended to identify passengers travelling without valid authority and recover revenue due to the railway system.
The railway said ticketless travel is an offence under the Railways Act and affects revenue used for passenger amenities, safety and infrastructure. It has appealed to passengers to purchase proper and valid tickets to avoid inconvenience and penalties, while reiterating its zero-tolerance policy towards unauthorised travel.
Central Railway said the intensified checking drives would continue across its network as part of its effort to ensure valid-ticket travel and provide passengers with a comfortable and dignified journey.
