Railways clarifies unreserved ticket rules: screenshots not valid for travel

Railways clarifies unreserved ticket rules

Indian Railways has issued a clarification on the use of digital unreserved tickets, stating that screenshots of tickets cannot be used for travel. The clarification, attributed to Saurabh Jain, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of West Central Railway's Kota Division, follows a case involving an unreserved ticket booked through the RailOne app.

According to Jain, a ticket booked through the RailOne app is valid only on the specific mobile phone on which the app is registered and the booking was made. A screenshot of a ticket booked by another person and subsequently shared through WhatsApp or any other medium does not qualify as a valid ticket for the passenger using it.

"Passengers should book tickets themselves using their registered mobile phones and carry that same phone with them during the journey," Jain said, as reported by The Indian Express.

Booking before boarding

The railway official also reiterated that passengers need to have a valid ticket before starting their journey. A passenger cannot board a train without a ticket and later use their mobile phone to generate an unreserved ticket after spotting ticket-checking staff. The same applies when someone else books a ticket on their mobile phone—carrying a screenshot of that booking does not satisfy the requirements for digital travel authority.

Passengers using digital facilities for unreserved travel should complete the booking before boarding the train. For tickets booked through RailOne, the booking should remain accessible on the registered mobile phone from which the ticket was generated.

Digital ticket requirements

Railways has specifically said that a screenshot or ticket image received through WhatsApp or another messaging platform cannot be treated as a valid travel authority. To display the digital ticket, the mobile phone must be switched on and sufficiently charged, the official said. Passengers should therefore carry the phone used for booking throughout the journey and ensure it has enough battery to display the ticket during checking.

A ticket booked from a registered mobile phone is valid only for the holder of that mobile phone, as per the clarification.

Penalty increase

The railway official further said that the minimum penalty for travelling without a proper ticket or with an irregular ticket has been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 500, effective June 19, 2026.