Central Railway cracks down on misuse of Foreign Tourist Quota-39 cases detected and ₹3.56 lakh recovered as penalty

Mumbai: Central Railway has intensified its drive against misuse of the Foreign Tourist (#FT) Quota after detecting irregularities in bookings by Indian citizens traveling without valid supporting documents.

The matter came to light in Train No. 12296 Sanghamitra Express on 04.02.2026, where certain Indian passengers were found travelling on FT Quota tickets without possessing the requisite documents mandated for foreign tourists.

A detailed analysis of future-dated bookings under FT quota was undertaken. Scrutiny revealed that 174 originating PNRs of Central Railway were generated across 31 trains for the period 24.04.2026 to 11.06.2026 under the FT quota.

Special checks were conducted by CR Ticket Checking staff to verify the authenticity of FT quota tickets. During these drives, 39 PNRs were found booked through misuse of the FT quota.

A total of 121 passengers were detected travelling irregularly. They were charged as per extant rules and an amount of ₹3,56,916/- was recovered as penalty. The passengers were not permitted to occupy the berths, which were subsequently allotted to RAC/Waitlisted passengers.

Additional details have been sought from IRCTC to ascertain whether any authorized booking agents are involved in these bookings. Investigation is underway to identify individuals and entities involved in unauthorized booking under the FT quota.

Booking tickets under an ineligible quota is a punishable offence under The Railways Act. Passengers must carry valid ID and supporting documents as required for the quota under which the ticket is booked.

Central Railway appeals to passengers to report / share any such information to the nearest on duty Railway personnel or on 139 or through the Rail Madad App.
Central Railway also appeals to all passengers to ensure the correctness and validity of their tickets before undertaking travel.