Indian Railways intensifies ticket-checking drives to curb revenue leakage

Indian Railways has launched a special ticket-checking drive across the Southern Railway from October 1 to 31. The initiative aims to curb revenue leakage and prevent the misuse of concessions, special reservation quotas, and passes. Authorities noted that irregularities have increased due to the presence of agents.

Under the new directive, passengers using concessions or special quotas must present original identity documents to prove eligibility. In group bookings, the identity documents of all passengers will be examined. If even one passenger on a ticket lacks the required original documentation, all passengers on that ticket will be treated as traveling without a valid ticket and charged a penalty. Additionally, ticket examiners will use a dedicated app to verify the authenticity of unreserved tickets.

In a related development, the Jammu Division of Northern Railway reported significant results from its own intensive checking drive conducted throughout September. The division detected 6,617 cases of ticketless or irregular travel, generating approximately Rs 48.88 lakh in revenue. These cases included irregular ticketing as well as violations such as smoking and littering on trains and station premises.