The move is aimed at preventing the misuse of digital tickets and strengthening ticket verification during journeys.
Under the revised rules, passengers must carry the same registered mobile phone that was used to book the ticket. Railway officials said the original ticket should remain accessible in the Rail One app on that device throughout the journey.
What has changed?
Under the revised guidelines, passengers travelling with digital unreserved tickets must produce the original ticket in the Rail One app whenever asked by ticket-checking staff.
The Railways has clarified that the following will not be accepted during inspection:
- Screenshots of tickets
- Photographs of tickets
- PDF copies
- Tickets forwarded through WhatsApp or any other messaging platform
Officials said tickets must be available on the registered mobile number and device used to generate them.
Ticket must be booked before departure
Indian Railways has also reiterated that digital unreserved tickets must be purchased before the train departs from the boarding station.
Any ticket generated after the train has left the station will be treated as invalid, even if it is available in the Rail One app.
Railway Issues Advisory For Passengers
To avoid inconvenience, Indian Railways has advised passengers to:
- Carry the mobile phone used to book the ticket.
- Keep the phone sufficiently charged throughout the journey.
- Ensure the ticket remains accessible in the Rail One app.
- Verify journey details, including station name and travel date, before boarding.
- Avoid relying on screenshots or forwarded ticket copies.
Railway officials warned that failure to provide the original digital ticket during inspection or presenting incorrect ticket details could result in penalties.
Rules apply only to unreserved digital tickets
The Railways clarified that the revised guidelines apply only to digital unreserved tickets booked through the Rail One app.
The instructions do not apply to reserved tickets, where identity verification is carried out using government-issued identity documents during ticket checks.
Passenger fined over WhatsApp screenshot
The new guidelines come after a recent incident aboard Train No. 18517 Korba–Visakhapatnam Link Express, where a woman travelling from Korba to Raipur was penalised after producing a WhatsApp screenshot of her ticket during inspection.
According to railway officials, the passenger informed the travelling ticket examiner (TTE) that her brother had booked the ticket using the Rail One app and had forwarded a screenshot via WhatsApp.
During verification, the TTE found that the ticket had been generated at 4:45 pm, while the train had already departed Korba station at 4:10 pm. Officials also found that the ticket was not available on the passenger’s registered mobile number.
As the screenshot was not considered valid proof of travel, the passenger was fined under railway rules.
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