DMK MP VS Matheswaran alleges public funds were misused for luxury train travel by 336 railway officials.
Matheswaran claims Railway Ministry gave contradictory statements regarding officials’ travel entitlements with spouses.
Railway Ministry denies wrongdoing, saying tourist train travel follows applicable railway pass entitlement rules.
A DMK Lok Sabha member has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that public money was misused for the travel of 336 railway officials along with their spouses on luxury trains such as the Palace on Wheels, Maharajas’ Express and Deccan Odyssey over the past 12 years and demanding a thorough probe into it.
These trains are operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), with fares ranging from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 26 lakh per person, depending on the itinerary.
DMK MP VS Matheswaran, in a letter dated September 5, 2026, addressed to PM Modi, alleged that the Railway Ministry had furnished contradictory statements before Parliament regarding the permissibility of such travel under the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules, 1986.
However, the Railway Ministry, in a response to PTI, denied any wrongdoing or violation of norms in permitting officials to travel on these trains.
“There is no contradiction between the two replies. The earlier reply states that travel entitlement in tourist trains is on the same lines as the entitlement applicable to other trains,” a senior railway official said.
“The definition of ‘family’ under the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules is referred to in the guidelines followed for permitting travel on tourist trains,” he added.
Matheswaran has alleged that public money was misused by railway officials for travel on luxury trains with their spouses.
“According to information available to me, 336 railway officials allegedly travelled on luxury trains with their spouses during the past twelve years, with the cost of such travel being borne from public funds or through railway travel entitlements,” Matheswaran said.
He added, “In 2022, the Railway Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that railway officials could travel on luxury trains with their families under the applicable railway pass provisions. However, in response to a question raised by me on July 29, 2026, the Ministry has now stated that railway officials cannot travel on luxury trains with their spouses.”
According to Matheswaran, this apparent contradiction raises fundamental questions about the interpretation and implementation of the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules, 1986, as well as the accuracy of the information supplied by the Ministry to Parliament.
He has demanded an independent, comprehensive and time-bound inquiry into the travel of the 336 officials with their spouses, the alleged misuse of public money, the precise provisions of the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules, 1986, the names of the officials who sanctioned these journeys, the recovery of public money if it was misused, and the reasons for providing "contradictory" replies in Parliament.
“If the inquiry establishes that officials were permitted to travel beyond their entitlement, or that incorrect information was supplied to Parliament, responsibility may kindly be fixed on the officers responsible and appropriate action taken under the applicable rules,” Matheswaran said in his letter.
He further stated that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways had in 2017 asked the Ministry to discontinue complimentary tickets on luxury trains, but the Ministry refused to do so.
“If the facts stated above are established, the matter would warrant appropriate recovery of public money and disciplinary or other action against those responsible, irrespective of their rank or position,” he added.
