Officials attached to the Sudden Raids and Mobile Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka Railways reported that a revenue of over Rs 20 million have been recorded by way of fines from errant commuters through mobile inspections and raids carried out in trains, during last year.
According to the officials the total number of detections made during the period was 14,809, covering all three railway zones of Colombo, Nawalapitiya and Anuradhapura.
Ticketless travel, travelling in class 1 and 2 compartments with class 3 tickets, and travelling beyond destinations specified in their tickets were the offences committed by commuters, they said.
The Sri Lanka Railway, as a public commuter transport service, endeavours to provide an efficient and effective service to all train travellers, the officials said.
The Railway Department is deprived of a huge amount of income due to these acts of fraud, corruption and malpractice, they said.
To minimize these offences the fine imposed on fraudulent train travellers has been enhanced from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000. In addition, mobile inspections and sudden raids in trains have been intensified, the Commercial Superintendent of Sri Lanka Railways, G.W.S.Sisira Kumara added.