Indian Railways has issued a clear directive that digital unreserved tickets booked through the RailOne app must be produced on the original app during ticket checks. According to reports from NDTV Profit, the railway authority has explicitly stated that screenshots, photographs, PDF copies, or tickets shared through WhatsApp or any other messaging platform will no longer be accepted as valid travel documents. The latest incident involving a passenger on Train Number 18517 Korba–Visakhapatnam Link Express further demonstrates the practical implications of this policy.
The clarification follows a specific incident aboard the Korba-Visakhapatnam Link Express, where a passenger was fined after showing a WhatsApp screenshot of a ticket. As reported by NDTV Profit, railway officials discovered that the ticket had been booked after the train had already left the boarding station and was not available on the passenger's registered device, highlighting the security vulnerabilities of sharing digital tickets through messaging platforms. The latest case involved a passenger named Ankita who contacted her brother to book a ticket via RailOne App after spotting the Travelling Ticket Examiner, but the ticket was issued at 4:45 pm, well after the train departed at 4:10 pm from Korba station.
Under the revised guidelines, an unreserved ticket booked through the RailOne app is valid only on the same registered mobile phone used to book it. According to South East Central Railway's statement on X, passengers must also carry a valid photo identity card, which ticket-checking staff may request to see. The railway zone emphasized that tickets received via WhatsApp, screenshots, or other means will not be treated as valid travel authorisation. Railway officials have made it clear that copies of tickets shared via WhatsApp, screenshots or PDF files would not be accepted during ticket verification, reinforcing the requirement for passengers to present the original ticket within the app.
The clarification aims to prevent misuse of digital tickets through forwarding or sharing with other users. As reported by NDTV Profit, passengers who cannot produce the ticket on their registered device or establish their identity may be treated as travelling without a valid ticket and could face penalties under railway rules. Authorities have advised passengers to carry the phone used for booking throughout their journey, keep it charged, and verify all ticket details in advance. The South East Central Railway has also reminded passengers that the minimum penalty for travelling without a valid ticket or with irregular tickets was increased from ₹250 to ₹500 on June 19, 2026, making compliance with digital ticket rules more critical than ever. Railway administration has clarified that digital bookings made after a train has departed from the station will not be considered valid.
The revised rules apply only to digital unreserved tickets booked through the RailOne app and do not affect reserved tickets, where identity verification is already part of the checking process. According to NDTV Profit, this distinction ensures that the new policy targets the specific vulnerabilities of unreserved digital tickets while maintaining existing verification procedures for reserved travel segments. The latest incident demonstrates how these rules apply in practical situations, with authorities declaring WhatsApp screenshots invalid under current railway regulations. Railway officials have emphasized that digital unreserved tickets must be purchased before the train departs from the boarding station, and passengers must present the original ticket within the app during all inspections.
