12 September,2023 05:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pic/Western Railway
The Western Railway on Tuesday said that it has collected Rs 71.68 crore as fine during their intensive ticket checking drives in local trains and railway stations.
In an official statement, the Western Railway said that in order to ensure hassle-free, comfortable travel and better services to all bonafide passengers over Western Railway, intensive ticket checking drives are being carried out constantly over Mumbai suburban local services, Mail/Express trains as well as passenger trains and holiday special trains to curb the menace of ticketless/irregular passengers.
The Western Railway further said that the highly motivated ticket checking team under the supervision of senior commercial officers of Western Railway organised several ticket checking drives during the months from April to August 2023, thereby recovering an amount to the tune of Rs. 71.68 crore, which also includes Rs.18.40 crore collected from Mumbai suburban section.
According to a press release issued by Sumit Thakur - Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, during the month of August 2023, an amount of Rs.10.42 crore was recovered through detection of 1.83 lakh ticketless/irregular passengers, including unbooked luggage cases. Also, in the month of August, Western Railway realised fines amounting to Rs.2.58 crore through detection of over 59,000 cases over Mumbai suburban section.
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He said, to prevent unauthorised entry in Mumbai AC local trains, frequent surprise ticket checking drives are carried out. As a result of these drives almost 33,000 unauthorised passengers have been penalised during the period April to August 2023 and Rs. 109.17 lakh collected in fines, which is over 174 per cent higher than the same period of last year.
"The Western Railway appeals to the general public to travel with proper and valid tickets," the Western Railway said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Western Railway had last month announced that 49 Mumbai local train services will be converted from 12-car to 15-car from August 15.
According to the Western Railway, the increase in the number of additional services will increase the carrying capacity by 25 per cent in each train.
"In an initiative to provide better train services and accommodate more passengers in trains over the Mumbai Suburban section, Western Railway has decided to convert 49 local train services of 12-car to 15-car services. These services will be effective from 15th August 2023," an official statement had said.
