No train ticket? Central Railway's penalty earnings jump 40% as minimum fine doubles to ₹500

Central Railway has intensified its crackdown on unauthorised and ticketless travel, recovering ₹140.81 crore in penalties from 18.03 lakh passengers between April and August 2026. The penalty earnings were more than 40% higher than the ₹100.50 crore collected during the corresponding period last year, The Times of India reported.

The number of cases also increased during the five months, with 18.03 lakh passengers detected compared with 17.19 lakh cases in the same period last year. The sharp rise in collections has been attributed partly to intensified ticket-checking drives and the revision of the minimum penalty for ticketless travel from ₹250 to ₹500.

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A Central Railway spokesperson Swapnil Nila told TOI that the festive season is expected to bring a further rise in passenger traffic, prompting authorities to step up checks across stations and trains.

“This includes fortress checks, ambush inspections, station sweeps, and mega drives conducted across mail, express, passenger, special, and suburban trains in the Mumbai and Pune divisions," said Nila.

Mumbai division tops penalty collection

The Mumbai division accounted for the largest share of the penalty revenue, collecting ₹58.46 crore from 8.80 lakh cases between April and August.

Bhusaval division followed with Rs 35.52 crore from 3.42 lakh cases. Pune division detected 1.86 lakh cases and collected ₹16.29 crore, while Nagpur recorded 2.11 lakh cases and recovered  ₹15.83 crore. Solapur recorded around 95,000 cases and collected ₹6.13 crore, according to TOI.

The trend continued in August, when Central Railway collected ₹19.5 crore, up more than 41% from ₹13.78 crore in August 2025. However, the number of cases detected fell from 2.76 lakh to 2.57 lakh during the month.

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Multiple checking drives deployed

Central Railway has adopted several measures to detect ticketless and unauthorised travel, including station checks, ambush checks, fortress checks, intensive inspections and mega ticket-checking drives. These operations are being conducted across trains and stations, particularly in the Mumbai and Pune divisions.

The railway administration has also reminded passengers that travelling without a valid ticket is an offence under the Railways Act and can attract penal action.