Indian Railways Doubles Minimum Ticketless Travel Penalty to ₹500
Indian Railways has increased the minimum penalty for travelling without a valid ticket from ₹250 to ₹500 under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, as part of efforts to curb ticketless travel.
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Indian Railways has increased the minimum fine for travelling without a valid ticket from ₹250 to ₹500 in a bid to curb ticketless and unauthorised travel across its entire network.
The revised penalty will come into effect from June 20 under the provisions of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026. Indian Railways in an advisory on X said the minimum penalty prescribed under Sections 137 and 138 of the Railways Act, 1989 has been revised to ₹500.
Railway authorities appealed passengers to travel with valid tickets and follow travel regulations. Passengers have also been told to board the right train, travel in the right class and the right coach to avoid penalties.
This is part of Railways’ continuing drive to check ticketless travel. Official data showed that Central Railway alone recovered ₹40.85 crore as penalty from 4.96 lakh passengers travelling without valid tickets during May.
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Stricter Enforcement:
Amended provisions of the Railways Act, Section 137 covers fraudulent travel and travelling without proper pass or ticket. This section relates to passengers travelling without authority, remaining in railway coaches in contravention of the rules or using tickets or passes previously used for previous journeys.
Passengers contravening these provisions shall be liable to pay the fare for the distance travelled plus excess charges. After the amendment, the minimum excess charge has been fixed at Rs.500/- or any higher amount which may be notified by the Central Government in future.
The law also provides for recovery proceedings in case of refusal by passengers to pay fare and penalty. In such cases, the authorised railway officials may institute a suit for recovery before the competent court.
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The court may also sentence passengers who do not pay the applicable dues to imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or fine which may extend to ₹500, or both.
The amended penalty regime is a reflection of Indian Railways’ effort to tighten enforcement and ensure higher compliance of ticketing rules on the vast rail network in the country.
