Western Railway detected 15.49 lakh cases of ticketless and irregular travel, including unbooked luggage, during ticket-checking drives conducted between April and September 2026, according to an official statement reported by Mid-Day. The enforcement covered Mumbai suburban local trains, long-distance Mail and Express services, passenger trains and holiday special trains.
The railway zone said the drives were intended to curb unauthorised travel, prevent revenue leakage and ensure that passengers used valid tickets. In September alone, more than two lakh cases of ticketless and irregular travel were detected, with fines collected from violators.
Mumbai’s suburban section accounted for 5.43 lakh cases during the six-month period. Western Railway said the checking drives in this section resulted in the collection of more than Rs 30 crore in fines. The enforcement activity was carried out across the suburban network under the supervision of senior commercial officers.
Ticket checks were also intensified on air-conditioned suburban services. Western Railway said around 97,000 penalty cases were detected on AC local trains between April and September after passengers holding general tickets were found travelling in AC services. The number represented a growth of more than 170 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year, when around 49,000 cases were detected.
The railway zone has linked the increased checks to efforts to protect revenue and ensure compliance across different classes of suburban services. The action is particularly relevant in Mumbai, where the suburban railway carries a large daily commuter load and operates services with different ticketing categories and fare structures.
Western Railway has also trained ticket-checking staff on the Shareable UTS Season Tickets facility. Introduced through the RailOne app from October 2, 2026, the facility allows season tickets to be shared under specified conditions. Staff from different divisions were briefed through a video conference on procedures for verifying the tickets and preventing misuse.
The Western Railway drive comes alongside a separate month-long checking campaign launched by Central Railway from October 1. That campaign is focused on verifying tickets issued under concessional fares, specified reservation quotas and different railway passes, with the stated objective of detecting misuse and preventing revenue leakage.
Western Railway said its staff would continue intensive checking across its network to ensure that passengers travel with valid tickets and follow railway rules. The railway’s ongoing verification of tickets, passes and digital season-ticket facilities will determine how the enforcement campaign proceeds across Mumbai’s suburban services.
