Newz Desk, Durgapur: Indian Railways has introduced stricter rules for passengers travelling with unreserved digital tickets, making it mandatory to produce the ticket only through the registered mobile device and the official ticket-booking application during inspection.
According to the new guidelines, passengers will no longer be allowed to present unreserved tickets through WhatsApp messages, screenshots or PDF copies. Instead, the valid ticket must be displayed directly from the authorised mobile application on the registered mobile number used for booking when requested by a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE).
The Railways has also clarified that unreserved tickets booked online after the train has departed from the passenger’s boarding station will not be considered valid. In such cases, the passenger will be treated as travelling without a valid ticket and will be liable to pay the applicable penalty.
The revised norms follow a recent incident aboard the Korba–Visakhapatnam Link Express, where a passenger travelling with an unreserved ticket was found to have booked it online after the train had already departed from the boarding station. During ticket verification, the TTE identified the violation and imposed a penalty on the passenger.
Railway officials said the incident prompted the ministry to strengthen the rules governing online booking and verification of unreserved tickets to prevent misuse of the system.
Passengers are advised to book unreserved tickets before the train departs from their boarding station and ensure that the ticket is available on the registered mobile application for verification during the journey. Under the revised rules, failure to comply may result in penalties for ticketless travel.
