The Central Railway has intensified its crackdown on the misuse of the Foreign Tourist (FT) Quota, detecting 39 irregular booking cases and recovering RS 3.56 lakh in penalties from offenders.
As per the official statement from the Central Railway, the action follows an incident reported on February 4, 2026, aboard Train No. 12296 Sanghamitra Express, where several Indian passengers were found travelling on FT quota tickets without possessing the mandatory documents required for foreign nationals.
Misuse of Foreign Tourist (FT) Quota
Subsequently, railway authorities carried out a detailed analysis of future-dated bookings under the Foreign Tourist (FT) quota. The scrutiny revealed that 174 originating Passenger Name Records (PNRs) were generated across 31 trains under Central Railway for the period between April 24 and June 11, 2026.
Authorities recover Rs 3,56, 916 as fine for misusing FT quota
Following the scrutiny, special verification drives conducted by ticket-checking staff found that 39 of these PNRs involved misuse of the quota. In total, 121 passengers were detected travelling irregularly. These passengers were penalised as per railway rules, with authorities recovering Rs 3,56,916. They were also denied access to their reserved berths, which were reassigned to RAC and waitlisted passengers.
Railway officials have sought additional details from IRCTC to determine whether any authorised booking agents were involved in facilitating such fraudulent reservations. An investigation is currently underway to identify individuals or entities linked to the misuse.
Central Railway has reiterated that booking tickets under an ineligible quota is a punishable offence under the Railways Act. Passengers have been advised to carry valid identification and supporting documents corresponding to the quota under which tickets are booked.
The railway authority has also urged passengers to report any suspicious bookings or misuse to on-duty railway personnel, call the helpline number 139, or lodge complaints via the Rail Madad app.