The issue of individuals falsely claiming to be railway employees to travel ticketless on Mumbai local trains appears to be on the rise. A recent incident on a Central Railway AC local has brought this concern to the forefront. During a ticket-checking drive, ticket checkers (TCs) reportedly inspected the tickets of regular passengers but allegedly turned a blind eye to several individuals who claimed to be railway staff. When a fellow passenger questioned this apparent preferential treatment, the TC allegedly responded dismissively instead of verifying the credentials of those claiming staff status.
A video of the exchange has since gone viral on social media, once again highlighting alleged high-handedness and bias among the ticket-checking staff. Fares for AC locals are significantly higher than those for regular local trains, and this incident raises serious questions about whether rules are enforced equally—or only on ordinary passengers—especially if individuals can travel without a valid ticket merely by claiming to be railway employees.
According to sources, the incident took place on Thursday evening on the 5:12 PM Dadar-Ambarnath AC local. Four TCs boarded the train for routine ticket inspection. While passengers promptly began displaying their tickets, four to five individuals who were comfortably seated claimed to be railway staff. The TCs present allegedly did not make any effort to check their tickets or passes. Notably, one of them was reportedly carrying an NRMU (National Railway Mazdoor Union) card in his pocket.
Upon witnessing this, a concerned passenger questioned the TC about why these individuals' tickets were not being checked. Rather than addressing the concern, the TC allegedly gave a curt response. According to the passenger—who recorded the incident—it was only after he began filming that the TCs started checking the tickets of the individuals in question. He further claimed that even after pointing out that one of them was traveling with just an NRMU card, the TC still failed to take any punitive action.
Numerous complaints have surfaced in the past about ineligible railway employees traveling freely in AC or first-class compartments by flashing ID cards, often without any follow-up by authorities. It remains to be seen whether the Central Railway administration will take strict action in response to these recurring allegations.