Both railway zones have approached the Railway Board seeking approval to almost double their existing ticket checking workforce. The move is aimed at improving checks across local trains and stations and taking stronger action against passengers travelling without valid tickets.
At present, the Mumbai division of Central Railway has around 1,400 ticket checkers, while Western Railway has approximately 1,100. Railway officials say the existing workforce is not enough to handle the huge number of daily commuters.
As per Railway Board norms, there should be one ticket checking employee for every 1,000 passengers. Central Railway estimates that it needs around 2,800 ticket checkers based on its daily suburban passenger volume of around 35 to 38 lakh.
Western Railway, which carries around 28 to 30 lakh suburban passengers each day, has estimated a requirement of around 2,300 to 2,400 ticket checking staff.
Together, the two railway zones would therefore need around 4,700 ticket checkers to meet the stated requirement.
Mumbai’s suburban railway network carries more than 65 lakh passengers every day, with some estimates putting the daily figure at around 70 to 80 lakh. With the current staff strength, railway officials say it is difficult to conduct regular checks at every station and inside local trains.
This shortage also makes it harder to prevent different forms of ticket-related violations. These include travelling without a ticket, using the wrong class and entering first-class or AC local coaches without a valid ticket.
If the proposal gets approval, the additional staff could be deployed in phases. Officials are also considering dedicated checking teams at busy stations during peak hours.
Special teams could focus on AC locals, first-class coaches and compartments reserved for women and passengers with disabilities. Additional staff could also be deployed during festivals, special ticket-checking drives and night-time operations.
The proposed increase could also reduce the workload on existing staff. Ticket checkers currently have to handle checking drives at major stations, special duties and other additional responsibilities, often putting them under considerable pressure.
With more personnel, duties can be distributed more efficiently and ticketless travel can be targeted more consistently across Mumbai’s suburban railway network.
The suburban rail system covers roughly 450 km and remains one of the city’s most important modes of daily transport.
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