According to the report, the penalty collection was around 40% higher than during the corresponding period last year. The increase reflects both the rise in the minimum penalty for ticketless travel and intensified ticket-checking campaigns across the Central Railway network.
The Mumbai Division recorded the highest penalty collection, recovering Rs 58.5 crore from around 8.8 lakh cases. The Bhusawal Division collected Rs 35.5 crore from 3.4 lakh cases. The Pune Division contributed Rs 16.3 crore, while the Nagpur Division collected Rs 15.8 crore and the Solapur Division Rs 6.1 crore. The Central Railway headquarters accounted for Rs 8.6 crore in penalty collections.
Across the Central Railway network, ticket-checking teams recorded an average of around 11,000 cases every day during the period and collected nearly Rs 92 lakh in penalties daily.
August saw a 41% rise in penalty collection. According to a Times of India report, despite the increase in revenue, the number of cases detected declined slightly. Around 2.5 lakh cases were recorded in August this year, compared with 2.7 lakh cases during the same month last year.
Officials said the higher collections were driven by stricter ticket inspections and changes in penalty rules. The minimum penalty for travelling without a ticket had been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 500.
Central Railway has been conducting multiple types of inspections across its network to detect passengers travelling without valid tickets. These include surprise checks at stations and on trains, along with large-scale coordinated inspection drives.
The Central Railway CPRO said the campaigns included fortress checks, surprise inspections, intensive checks at stations and mega ticket-checking drives across mail, express, passenger, special and local trains in the Mumbai and Pune divisions.
The inspection campaigns have been conducted across different categories of services, with particular attention given to trains and stations in the Mumbai and Pune divisions. Railway officials said travelling without a valid ticket is an offence under the Railway Act. They also said revenue generated from tickets plays an important role in improving passenger facilities, safety measures and infrastructure.
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