Indian Railways has made it mandatory for passengers travelling on unreserved tickets to carry a printed copy, citing concerns over the growing misuse of digital technology and ticket fraud. Passengers will no longer be allowed to show unreserved tickets only on their mobile phones.
The decision follows incidents where Artificial Intelligence (AI) was allegedly used to create fake train tickets. In a recent case on the Jaipur route, a Head Ticket Checker caught students travelling with AI-generated tickets displayed on their phones. The students had purchased a single unreserved ticket but manipulated it using AI to show seven passengers on the same ticket. Although the tickets appeared genuine, complete with QR codes and travel details, the fraud was detected during inspection.
Railway officials have warned that ticket touts may also resort to such methods in the future. To prevent misuse, they clarified that unreserved tickets issued through the UTS app, Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) or ticket counters must now be carried as physical printouts. Mobile screenshots or digital displays of unreserved tickets will not be accepted. However, the new rule does not apply to reserved e-tickets and m-tickets.
Following the incident, railway divisions across Madhya Pradesh, including Jhansi, have been put on alert. Ticket Examiners and Ticket Checkers have been instructed to use the TTE app to scan QR codes and verify tickets whenever there is suspicion.
Indian Railways said the move is aimed at safeguarding revenue and strengthening the security of the ticketing system in an increasingly technology-driven environment.
Separately, Indian Railways has also announced a change in the preparation timing of reservation charts to benefit passengers with waiting list (WL) and RAC tickets. As per a recent circular, the timing for preparing the first reservation chart has been revised to reduce uncertainty for travellers.
For trains departing between 5.01 am and 2 pm, the first reservation chart will now be prepared preferably by 8 pm on the previous day. The change is expected to give passengers greater clarity about their ticket status well before their journey.