Mumbai: Central Railway’s Mumbai division has achieved a remarkable feat by generating ₹100 crore in earnings from cases of ticketless travel 13 days ahead of the previous fiscal year’s timeline. This makes it the first division in Indian Railways to reach this milestone.
Staff members identified and processed 17.86 lakh cases of ticketless travel by February 13, indicating a 3.34% increase compared to the same period in the preceding fiscal year, during which 17.29 lakh cases were detected. The mainline batches contributed significantly, detecting 4,67,108 cases and contributing ₹39.05 crore. Similarly, suburban batches identified 4,82,198 cases, contributing ₹29.56 crore, while station staff detected 1,62,765 cases, contributing ₹14.14 crore in earnings from irregular travel. Ticket checkers and amenity staff also detected thousands of ticketless travel cases.
Among the total earnings, ₹2.29 crore was collected solely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), the busiest railway station in India.
The Central Railway authorities have attributed this achievement to the intensified drive against ticketless travel, which was launched in April 2022. The drive involved deploying additional staff, conducting surprise checks, installing CCTV cameras, and imposing hefty fines on offenders.
The Central Railway has also taken measures to raise awareness among passengers about the importance of buying tickets and the consequences of travelling without them. The railway officials have appealed to the public to cooperate with them in curbing the menace of ticketless travel, which causes loss of revenue and affects the quality of service.
The Central Railway’s Mumbai division handles over 40 lakh passengers daily, making it one of the most congested and complex railway networks in the world. The division operates 1,772 suburban and 210 non-suburban trains across 390 route kilometres.
The division has also recorded a 30% drop in rail fractures and improved its punctuality and safety performance in the current fiscal year, thanks to vigilant monitoring and increased ultrasonic flaw detection (USFD) inspections.
The Central Railway’s Mumbai division has set an example for other railway divisions in the country by achieving this record-breaking feat in ticketless travel earnings, which reflects its commitment to providing better service to its passengers and ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations.
