New Delhi: The number of people caught for trespassing on railway tracks has more than doubled compared to last year.As per Railway Protection Force (RPF) data, till Sept 10 this year, 6,379 were caught trespassing, up from 3,147 during the corresponding period in 2025. The fines collected also rose sharply, from about Rs 14 lakh last year to Rs 31 lakh this year. RPF officials attributed the increase partly to the implementation of Jan Vishwas Act by the Delhi division since June 19.Earlier, the process was tedious and a violator had to be produced in court. A violator who pleaded financial inability to pay the fine would sometimes be let off without paying the full amount or be charged less than the prescribed penalty, depending upon the discretion of the judicial magistrate.Under the new provisions, a fixed penalty is prescribed under the relevant sections without the necessity to go through a tedious process and an appearance in court, officials said. Since the implementation of the Act, 4,084 people have been caught under its provisions, with Rs 20.4 lakh collected in fines.The data for the period shows 2,160 bodies were found on railway tracks in 2025, while 1,406 bodies were found this year. Trespassing is one of the major reasons behind such incidents, officials said.RPF officials cited several reasons behind railway trespassing, including the high density of jhuggis and residential colonies near railway tracks, the lack of fencing and boundary walls along both sides of the tracks, inadequate road overbridges and designated passageways to cross railway lines, suicides, and a lack of public awareness about the dangers of crossing tracks.RPF has identified 10 trespassing-prone stretches across Delhi-NCR, including Mangolpuri–Mundka–Shakur Basti, Bijwasan–Gurgaon, Adarsh Nagar, and the section between Badli and Delhi Azadpur railway stations.Another official said many people, in an attempt to reach their workplaces quickly and save time, take shortcuts across active railway tracks instead of using designated crossing points. He added that several residential clusters and colonies had developed close to railway lines over the years, increasing the number of people living in the vicinity of the tracks. As a result, many residents routinely cross the tracks to reach nearby workplaces, markets and other destinations.Senior divisional security commissioner (RPF) Ashutosh Pandey said action was being taken under Section 147 of Railways Act against those crossing railway tracks unauthorisedly. He said RPF was also organising awareness workshops, coordinating with Govt Railway Police to take action against trespassers, and deploying personnel at platforms, trespassing-prone stretches and level-crossing gates.
