Mumbai: Just weeks after introducing AC local trains on the Harbour Line, the Central Railway (CR) authorities have formed a dedicated ticket-checking team after detecting 810 ticketless travellers and recovering ₹2.5 lakh in penalties between January 26 and February 10.
CR officials said a special team of travelling ticket examiners has been deployed on all 14 daily AC services operating between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Panvel to intensify checks.
“We also conduct frequent special ticket checking drives inside AC locals and at stations to curb irregular travel and ensure comfort of bona fide passengers,” said a CR official.
During the 16-day period since the launch, AC locals on the CSMT-Panvel corridor carried 6.40 lakh commuters, recording a daily average of 40,017 passengers. CR earned ₹2.38 crore from AC ticket sales, averaging ₹14.90 lakh per day. This included ₹1.79 crore from season tickets and ₹59 lakh from journey tickets.
At present, only 14 of the 94 AC locals are on the harbour line and commuters are demanding an increase in the services, citing heavy rush.
“During peak hours there is a tremendous crowd trying to board AC locals and in the process it results in delays in door closing thus impacting overall train punctuality,” said Pankaj B, a Belapur resident.
Meanwhile, on the Main and Harbour lines combined, ticket-checking squads detected 1.01 lakh cases of ticketless travel in AC locals in 2025-26 (till February 10), recovering ₹3.22 crore in penalties.