Central Railway collects Rs 16.85 lakh fine from ticketless passengers at Kalyan station

The Central Railway, one of the zones served by the Indian Railways, has made a significant breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on ticketless travel, collecting fines to the tune of Rs 16.85 lakh in a single day at the Kalyan railway station. The Mumbai-based Central Railway collected the amount from as many as 4,438 passengers on Monday, October 16, it said in a post on microblogging website X (formerly known as Twitter).

The impacted passengers were caught travelling without valid tickets at the station, according to the railway authorities. 

The tweet by the Central Railway said: "You may try to hide, but we will be waiting for you at your station!"

"On October 16, 2023, as many as 4,438 passengers were caught for traveling without a valid ticket at Kalyan station, resulting in the collection of fines totaling Rs16.85 lakh," it said. 

This development marks a milestone in the railway authorities' counter-action against ticketless travel. The action came after a team of ticket checkers (TCs) was deployed at multiple railway stations for days in Mumbai, in a campaign targeting alleged hotspots such as Bandra, Andheri-Borivali, and Dadar-Thane.

The crackdown, carried out between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm, involved the deployment of a team of 167 ticket-checking officials and 35 railway protection force (RPF) staff at the station.

Their vigilance led to the identification and penalisation of nearly 4,500 ticketless passengers. On average, each TTE caught 27 violators and imposed fines amounting to Rs 10,095 per individual.

"All passengers are requested to travel only with proper ticket and travel with respect," the Central Railway said.

Previously during the initial half of the current fiscal year, spanning from April to September 2023-24, Central Railway achieved a revenue of Rs 8568.41 crore, displaying a notable 15.86% increase compared to the Rs 7395.18 crore generated during the same period last year.

Central Railway officials have emphasized their commitment to sustaining surprise ticket-checking operations in the future. This measure aims to ensure passenger's compliance with ticketing regulations and encourage responsible travel. The railway authorities prioritize to stop ticketless travel as a fundamental component of their ongoing efforts to enhance the comfort of legitimate passengers and maintain revenue integrity.