Railway New Rule News: Now boarding the train without ticket will cost heavily, fine doubled, case may reach jail…

Business Desk – Railway New Rule News: Indian Railways has taken a big step against passengers traveling without tickets. After the amendment in the Railway Act, now double the fine will have to be paid for traveling in a train without ticket, wrong ticket or beyond the prescribed distance.

Railways says that the purpose of this decision is to stop ticket theft, protect the revenue of Railways and increase discipline among the passengers towards the rules. If caught under the new provisions, passengers will not only have to pay the fare but will also have to pay additional fine.

Now minimum fine of Rs 500 for traveling without ticket

According to the new rules of Railways, the minimum fine for traveling without a valid ticket has been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 500. This rule will also be applicable to those passengers who are traveling without a ticket, traveling on someone else’s ticket, traveling with a wrong ticket or have gone beyond the distance prescribed in the ticket.

Not just the fine, you will have to pay the full fare as well.

If a passenger is caught without a ticket, he will have to pay the full fare for the actual route travelled. Apart from this, an additional fine of Rs 500 will also have to be paid. This means that traveling without a ticket can now prove to be more expensive than before.

Changes in Section 137 and 138 of the Railway Act

This amendment has been implemented under Sections 137 and 138 of the Railways Act, 1989. The Central Government has made these provisions strict through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026. Railways believes that this will make the ticket checking system more effective and those violating the rules will be curbed.

If fine is not paid, the case may reach court

According to railway officials, in most of the cases, ticket examiners or authorized railway employees collect the fine on the spot. But if the passenger refuses to pay or does not pay the fine, the matter may reach the court. If found guilty under the Railway Act, the punishment can be imprisonment up to six months, fine up to Rs 1,000 or both.

Why is Railways taking strict action?

Crores of people travel by trains every day across the country. Railways says that every year there is a loss of crores of rupees due to ticket theft and irregular travel. Therefore, by increasing the fine, passengers are being motivated to follow the rules. In recent years, Railways has also intensified ticket checking campaigns, in which fines have been collected from lakhs of passengers.

Railway’s appeal to passengers

Railways has appealed to the passengers to always travel with valid tickets and to cooperate with the railway employees during ticket checking. Railways says that by following the rules, not only will passengers avoid fines and legal action, but railway services will also become more transparent and organized.