Western Railway has intensified its checking drive in Mumbai, specifically targeting unauthorized travelers in AC local trains. From April 2025 to January 2026, the vigilance teams caught over 1 lakh passengers traveling without proper tickets in AC coaches. This massive crackdown has helped the railways recover Rs 3.38 crore in fines, marking a 97% increase compared to the same time last year.
How much fine was collected in total?
The ticket checking squads have been very active across the entire Western Railway network, including suburban and long-distance trains. In just ten months, a total of 27 lakh cases were booked for ticketless travel and unbooked luggage across the zone. The officials have released specific data regarding the fines collected during this period.
| Category | Cases Detected | Amount Recovered |
|---|---|---|
| AC Local Trains | 1 Lakh+ | Rs 3.38 Crore |
| Mumbai Suburban (Total) | 9.75 Lakh | Rs 45.60 Crore |
| Total WR Network | 27 Lakh+ | Rs 172.55 Crore |
What are the rules and recent fraud alerts?
Currently, passengers caught without a valid AC ticket face a base penalty of Rs 250 plus the fare and GST. Western Railway has proposed increasing this base penalty to Rs 1,000 to stop unauthorized entry. Recently, authorities also arrested a woman at Bandra station for using a fake mobile app to generate a forged AC pass. Ticket collectors are now specially trained to detect such digital frauds, and officials noted that reducing overcrowding has helped AC trains run more on time.