Rail commuters must always purchase valid tickets

Representation pic

Western Railway's Mumbai Division recently celebrated a significant achievement - 125 ticket-checking staff were felicitated for their outstanding performance. The staff was recognised for their efforts to crack down on unauthorised travel.

Three staffers who displayed exemplary work were also honoured. Some of those felicitated played a vital role in identifying forged AC local tickets, leading to the apprehension of culprits.

The staffers also assisted passengers in various ways. They arranged for prompt medical aid, helped passengers retrieve lost valuables and assisted in locating missing children, among other acts of kindness. A chief ticketing inspector (CTI) stationed on the Rajdhani Express saved a passenger who fell between the train and the platform while attempting to board a moving train.

While the recognition will certainly boost morale, it is binding that commuters travel with valid tickets, obtained through manual ticket counters or digital platforms such as the UTS app and ATVM machines.

We must remember that we take potshots at the Railways for a number of things, like the sorry state of foot overbridges and shoddy announcement systems and point out when there are roofs missing on parts of our platforms. We highlight how the toilets on station platforms are locked for several hours and the poor lighting on some platforms. Dysfunctional infrastructure and malfunctioning escalators are in the news at times too.

Many of these grouses are genuine. Yet, as passengers we too need to be above board. Travel with valid tickets. Do not try to slink into first class with a general ticket. Respect railway infra. Follow the rules and never board or alight when a train is in motion.

The onus is on us, too, as there are two sides to the commuting coin.