Amidst the festive rush and a high demand for train tickets to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, ticket brokers have been exploiting the situation, charging up to three times the regular fare for confirmed Tatkal tickets. The Central Railway's vigilance department recently cracked down on these fraudulent practices on the Godan Express, Train No. 11055, traveling from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai to Gorakhpur. The investigation uncovered an alarming racket involving counterfeit tickets ( that were being sold to unsuspecting passengers, many of whom were unaware they were holding invalid travel tickets.
Over One Lakh Passengers Daily
More than one lakh passengers are heading daily from Mumbai to the eastern sector, including Uttar Pradesh. According to a senior official, an average of 43 train trips ( 39 on CR and 4 on WR) are operated daily from Mumbai to the eastern sector, including several unreserved services. Each reserved train typically has a capacity of 1,800 passengers; however, over 2,000 passengers are currently traveling on these trains, with general coaches fully packed. Apart from that each unreserved trains carrying around 4 to 5 passengers per trip.
Vigilance Raid Exposes Tatkal Ticket Duplication Scam
On October 25th, a CR vigilance team conducted a raid on the Godan Express, particularly inspecting coaches S-8, B6, and B7, between LTT and Igatpuri. The raid was initiated after receiving reports of Tatkal tickets being suspiciously booked from remote areas, often far from the passengers' intended travel routes. During the inspection, passengers were asked to present their tickets, revealing a significant number of fraudulent tickets—color print copies of original Tatkal tickets booked from remote locations like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.
Upon questioning, one passenger admitted to buying a ticket from an agent at LTT, paying a hefty extra charge of Rs. 5,000 for what they believed was a confirmed Tatkal ticket. However, the ticket turned out to be a duplicate, color-printed version of an original Tatkal ticket. Central Railway authorities seized the ticket and imposed penalties as per Tatkal regulations, ultimately confiscating five duplicate tickets during this particular inspection.
Colour Print of Ticket Are Being Used
With trains in high demand during the festival season, ticket brokers are capitalizing on the desperation of passengers looking to travel back home to celebrate. By booking genuine Tatkal tickets from remote locations such as Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh, brokers are creating color copies of these tickets and selling them at inflated prices to passengers in Mumbai. Passengers unknowingly pay three to four times the original fare, thinking they have secured confirmed tickets.
In many cases, agents book tickets from these remote areas and send them by email to brokers in Mumbai. The brokers then provide these color-printed copies to passengers who are unaware that such copies are not recognized as valid tickets under Tatkal rules.
Inspection Reveals Widespread Ticket Fraud
The CR vigilance inspection uncovered an extensive list of ticketing irregularities. The team found, 38 cases of transfers of tickets ie ticket were booked with different name, 18 cases of duplicate tickets (color copies of tatkal tickets from booked from remote locations) 4 instances of handwritten tickets and
8 cases of passengers traveling without proper tickets ."In total, the inspection resulted in the collection of nearly Rs. 1 lakh as a fines from above passengers. A further investigation into revealed that these Tatkal tickets had been booked from multiple locations across India, including Rajasthan, Bihar, and Jharkhand, and then colour print of these tickets were supplied to the passengers in Mumbai. Most of passengers who were sold these copies were typically unaware of the fraudulent nature of the tickets, as they had purchased them under the assumption they were valid for travel.
Passengers Unknowingly Carry Counterfeit Tickets
"Many passengers affected by this scam had no idea that the tickets they purchased were merely color print copies. Believing they held valid, confirmed tickets, they boarded the train only to find out during inspection that they were traveling without a legitimate ticket" said an official. Such cases highlight the vulnerability of travelers during the peak travel season, with many relying on agents and brokers to secure tickets when availability is limited.
"Indian Railway urges passengers to avoid purchasing tickets from unauthorized agents and instead book directly through official platforms like the IRCTC website or booking counters at railway stations" said an official adding that vigilance department has reinforced its commitment to conducting further checks and inspections to curb these fraudulent practices, particularly as the festive travel season continues.
306 trains for UP and Bihar on the Occasion of Diwali and Chhath
On the occasion of Diwali and Chhath , Central Railway has scheduled 306 trips from the Mumbai area to eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This extensive arrangement includes 39 trains, of which 33 are regular services and six are special trains introduced specifically for the festive period.
"We are operating a total of 39 trains, accounting for 306 trips over the festival period exclusively for the eastern sector." These include 33 regular trains making 254 trips, along with six special trains scheduled for 52 additional trips. Among the services are four fully unreserved weekly trains on routes to Raxaul, Gorakhpur, and Chhapra, as well as one fully unreserved daily train dedicated to Gorakhpur, providing added flexibility for passengers without reserved seats.
When asked about daily operations for the eastern sector of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the official noted that an average of 22 regular trains run each day. "Apart from these, special trains and weekly services are also being operated to ease travel for festival-goers, especially in the Eastern sector where demand traditionally surges during this period"
50 Train Trips on WR
However for the eastern sector, the majority of train services are operated by Central Railways (CR), besides of that to accommodate the Diwali and Chhath Puja rush this year, Western Railway has also scheduled 50 additional train trips from the Mumbai area to Uttar Pradesh and other parts of eastern India. This includes 17 trains, with seven regular trains making 28 trips, and ten special trains offering an additional 22 trips.
This schedule includes two weekly unreserved trains and one daily train to Gorakhpur. When asked about the daily average number of trains operating for the eastern sector, an official stated that an average of four trains are being operated daily.
A Pair of Additional Festival Special Train
Central Railway also announced a pair of a additional unreserved festival special train service between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, and Gorakhpur on Saturday
Train Number 01019, unreserved special will depart from CSMT Mumbai at 2:30 PM on October 28 and is scheduled to arrive in Gorakhpur at 11:00 PM the next day.
Similarly in return direction train Number 01020, will depart from Gorakhpur at 12:45 AM on October 30, reaching CSMT Mumbai at 10:35 AM the following day.
The train will stop at major stations, including Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nashik Road, Bhusaval, Khandwa, Itarsi, Bhopal, Bina, Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi, Orai, Kanpur Central, Lucknow, Barabanki, Gonda, and Basti station in both directions.It will consist of 15 sleeper class coaches, which will run as unreserved, and two guard-cum-brake vans.
