Western Railway (WR) continues to lead by example in ensuring revenue optimisation and promoting passenger discipline. A highly motivated team of ticket checking staff, under the active supervision of Senior Commercial Officers, has undertaken rigorous checks across Mumbai Suburban locals, long-distance Mail/Express trains, passenger services, and holiday special trains.
The objective has been to minimise revenue leakage and enhance travel discipline. In a remarkable achievement for the financial year 2025–26, WR detected a total of 32.74 lakh cases of ticketless and irregular travel, including unbooked luggage cases, resulting in a record-breaking fine of ₹209.30 crore through ticket checking drives, marking an increase of almost 39%. It is pertinent to mention that the Railway Board’s target was achieved in the first 11 months itself.
According to a press release issued by Chief Public Relations Officer, WR, Vineet Abhishek, maintaining this momentum, the month of March 2026 alone saw the detection of 2.87 lakh cases, generating ₹18.25 crore as fines, registering more than 10% increase over the previous year. This consistent performance underscores Western Railway’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of genuine passengers while curbing ticketless travel.
Over the Mumbai Suburban section, more than 11.60 lakh cases of ticketless and irregular travel were detected during FY 2025–26, resulting in fines amounting to ₹54.55 crore. In March, a total of one lakh cases of ticketless/irregular travel were detected, resulting in the realization of ₹4.67 crore.
Vineet further stated that, to prevent unauthorised entry of general ticket holders into AC local trains, surprise ticket checking drives are being conducted regularly. As a result, during the period from April 2025 to March 2026, around 1.3 lakh such cases were detected and ₹4.18 crore was collected as fines, showing over 99% increase over last year’s figure of ₹2.10 crore. WR appeals to passengers to travel with proper tickets, avoid irregular travel, and cooperate with railway authorities by adhering to rules and regulations.
With these record-breaking achievements, Western Railway continues to set new benchmarks in ticket checking across Indian Railways, reflecting its strong commitment towards revenue protection and passenger discipline. The sustained efforts further reinforce its focus on enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring a fair and comfortable travel environment for genuine passengers.