Indian Railways Increases Penalty for Ticketless Travel to ₹500 from July 1

Indian Railways has announced a significant increase in the penalty for passengers traveling without a valid ticket. The minimum fine for ticketless travel will be raised from ₹250 to ₹500, with the revised rule coming into effect from July 1.

Every day, more than 2.5 crore passengers travel on approximately 13,000 passenger trains across India. To curb ticketless travel and improve compliance with railway regulations, the Railway Ministry has decided to revise the penalty after nearly 13 years.

Under the new rules, passengers found traveling without a valid ticket will be required to pay a minimum penalty of ₹500, in addition to the applicable fare. The move is aimed at reducing revenue losses and ensuring fair travel practices across the railway network.

The revised regulations will also apply to passengers traveling using tickets booked in another person`s name. Such violations will attract an additional penalty of ₹500 along with the required travel charges.

Railway authorities have warned that failure to pay the imposed penalty could lead to legal action, with cases being referred to the courts for further proceedings.