In a major move to curb black marketing of Tatkal tickets and make the booking system more transparent, Indian Railways is set to introduce stringent verification measures, including mandatory Aadhaar-based OTP authentication. The new rules will come into effect in two phases starting July 1, 2025.
According to a recent Railway Board notification, from July 1, only Aadhaar-verified users will be able to book Tatkal tickets online via the IRCTC website or mobile app during the first 30 minutes of booking — i.e., from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC classes and 11:00 am to 11:30 am for non-AC classes. During this crucial time window, even authorized agents will not be permitted to book tickets, with the aim of prioritizing genuine passengers.
Starting July 15, an additional layer of security will be introduced in the form of OTP-based Aadhaar authentication for all Tatkal ticket bookings made online. Similarly, counter bookings at railway reservation windows will also require OTP verification, with passengers having to provide a valid mobile number at the time of booking. This provision will be also implemented nationwide by July 15.
"For Tatkal booking at railway counters/window tickets, passengers or their representatives will have to provide a mobile number and OTP. After successful authentication of the mobile number and OTP, the Tatkal ticket will be generated," said an official.
For non-Aadhaar users, Tatkal ticket booking can be done at PRS counters and through authorized travel agents only after 30 minutes of the opening of booking. The first 30 minutes is fully reserved for Aadhaar-verified users. Apart from that, certain provisions have also been made to ensure that bots (or other software tools) are not able to book tickets faster than genuine users.
Railway officials further added that the decision followed a comprehensive survey that found widespread irregularities and misuse of the Tatkal ticket. "Over 70% of passengers surveyed said they faced difficulties in getting confirmed Tatkal tickets, often being placed on the waitlist within seconds of the booking opening," a senior official said. "This initiative aims to eliminate the role of touts and unauthorized agents who exploit loopholes in the system."
Every day, around 2.25 lakh passengers book Tatkal tickets online. A study of bookings from May 24 to June 2 shows that most AC tickets (about 86%) are booked within the first hour. In non-AC classes, 66.4% of tickets are booked in the first 10 minutes.
Starting July, the first 30 minutes of Tatkal ticket booking will be available only to verified, genuine passengers. This system will also curb the misuse of fake email IDs. According to a senior officer, around 2.5 crore suspicious IRCTC IDs have been blocked in the last six months for using bot software for ticket booking.
