Travelling on locals without a ticket? Soon, Mumbaikars may have to pay Rs 1,000 as fine

Mumbaikars may soon have to pay Rs 1,000 as penalty for travelling in local trains without a ticket as the Western Railway (WR) has proposed to increase the fine amount four times from the existing Rs 250, reported The Times of India.

"During Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani's recent visit to Mumbai, we proposed an increase in the fine amount," a senior WR official told the paper.

Many commuters avoid buying a monthly season ticket thinking that the fine amount would be lower than the average cost for most destinations, the official told the paper, adding that the higher fine will act as a deterrent.

The penalty amount of Rs 250 for first-class and second-class commuters has been unchanged since 2002. If the Railway Board accepts the proposal, the fine will apply to both Western and Central suburban networks.

Railways incur huge losses in revenue as a large number of commuters travel on local trains without tickets.

Around 4,300 ticketless travellers are caught on Central and Western Railway every day during the random ticket checking spree, the report said. Lack of access control system like the Metro in these stations pave way for commuters to travel without a ticket.

The daily earnings for Central Railway from fines imposed amount to Rs 15 lakh compared to Rs 7 crore from fares. In Western Railway, the daily earnings from fines account for Rs 5 lakh and Rs 5 crore from fares.