Western Railway wants to raise fine for ticketless train travel to ₹1,000

WR puts forth proposal to Railway Board; ₹1,000 would be the minimum penalty, while the maximum would be decided as per a formula used to calculate fines.

Railway commuters may have to pay a fine of ₹1,000 fine for travelling without a ticket if Western Railway’s (WR) proposal to the Railway Board is accepted.

The proposal also suggests authorising ticket checkers to fine trespassers who cross tracks, and giving them hand-held devices to process fines. (HT File Photo)

The topic of increased fine amounts was discussed at length when Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Railway Board, met officials from Central and Western Railway, during his visit to Mumbai last week. “He assured [us] that he would take it into consideration and look at how it can be implemented,” said a senior WR official who did not want to be named. Lohani also asked the officials to submit a formal proposal to revise the fine structure, to the Railway Board.

The Railway Board governs the railway network in India.

As per the proposal submitted by WR on Monday, the minimum penalty for ticketless travel would be ₹1,000 while the maximum penalty would be decided as per the formula currently used to calculate fines (based on the distance a passenger has travelled without a ticket and the fare of the entire journey of the train in which they’re caught).

The proposal also suggests authorising ticket checkers (TCs) to fine trespassers who cross tracks, and giving TCs hand-held devices to process fines.

At present, the minimum fine for ticketless passengers is ₹250 and the maximum ranges between ₹350 and ₹500 if one is found travelling without a ticket in a first class compartment. Approximately 2,500 people are detained daily in Mumbai, for travelling without tickets. On a monthly basis, Mumbai Suburban Railway collects ₹15 crore from these fines.

Passenger associations, however, have mixed reactions to the proposal. “There are very few passengers who travel without ticket and increasing the fine to ₹1,000 from ₹250 will only increase corruption. People will bribe the ticket checkers and get away with it easily,” said Subhash Gupta, president, Rail Yatri Parishad.