Railway asks police to travel with tickets

S. Vijay Kumar THE HINDU CHENNAI, OCTOBER 25, 2017 

Says bona fide passengers inconvenienced by ‘free riders’

The Southern Railway has written to Tamil Nadu Director General of Police that many police personnel on/off duty were travelling in first/second class coaches of mail/express/suburban trains without tickets causing inconvenience to bona fide passengers.

In his letter dated October 21, 2017, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager said a large number of complaints were received from passengers that police personnel were travelling in reserved compartments without a valid ticket. Whenever they were asked to produce their travel authority by the Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs), they only showed the identity cards and continued their journey.

Requesting the DGP to instruct the police that they should possess a valid ticket/travel authority while undertaking journey in the railways, the official said that if police personnel were found to be travelling without tickets, necessary action would be taken to collect penalty from them as per rules.

The police department issues a warrant authorising police personnel to travel free in trains while on duty. “The railway is perhaps referring to police personnel in uniform travelling from home to work in suburban trains. We have not received any such complaint before…firm instructions will be issued in this regard,” a senior police official said.

Asked if there was any provision to provide monthly seasonal pass for police personnel to commute in local trains, the official said there was no such facility as of now. However, personnel of the Government Railway Police who provide security to passengers and their belongings on trains and railway premises were given railway pass and accommodation while on duty.