Mumbai: The Railways has announced plans to implement e-Aadhaar-based verification for all IRCTC user accounts. This move aims to prioritize genuine passengers and ensure fair access to Tatkal tickets.
“Your IRCTC account may be closed — get it verified quickly,” said an official, adding that Indian Railways will soon start using e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets. This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during times of need.
According to officials, users who fail to verify their accounts with Aadhaar may risk account suspension or closure. Currently, the IRCTC platform has over 130 million active users, but only around 12 million accounts are Aadhaar-verified. The Railway Board is now conducting a special drive to authenticate the remaining accounts.
“The aim is to ensure that only genuine passengers are able to book Tatkal tickets, especially during emergencies. Aadhaar verification will help in curbing misuse and improving transparency,” said a senior railway official.
Under the new policy, Aadhaar-verified users will get priority access to Tatkal tickets, especially during the crucial first 10 minutes of the booking window. Even authorized IRCTC agents will not be allowed to book during this initial phase.
According to a statement issued by Indian Railways recently, every day, around 2,25,000 passengers book Tatkal tickets through the online platform of Indian Railways. An analysis of online Tatkal ticket booking patterns from 24 May to 2 June revealed that, on average, only 5,615 out of 1,08,000 AC class tickets were booked in the first minute after the window opened.
However, 22,827 tickets were booked in the second minute. In the AC class, an average of 67,159 tickets were booked online within the first 10 minutes of the window opening, representing 62.5% of all tickets booked online. The remaining 37.5% of tickets were booked between 10 minutes after opening and chart preparation, with 3.01% of Tatkal tickets booked more than 10 hours after the window opened.
In the non-AC category, from 24 May to 2 June, an average of 1,18,567 tickets were booked online daily. Of these, 4,724 tickets — about 4% — were booked within the first minute, while 20,786 tickets — about 17.5% — were booked in the second minute.
Approximately 66.4% of tickets were sold within the first 10 minutes after the window opened. Additionally, around 84.02% of tickets were sold within the first hour of the window opening, with the remaining tickets sold over the next 10 hours. This clearly shows that Tatkal tickets are being made available to passengers through the online system, and around 12% of Tatkal tickets are still booked 8 to 10 hours after the window opens.
An official added that the railways have launched a campaign against the use of automated tools to book tickets online, employing artificial intelligence for this effort. Through special monitoring efforts, the railways have deactivated and blocked over 24 million users in the past six months.
Additionally, around 2 million other accounts have been flagged as suspicious and are under investigation based on their Aadhaar and other documents. Currently, there are more than 130 million active subscribers on the IRCTC website, of which only 12 million are Aadhaar-verified. IRCTC has decided to conduct special verification for all accounts that are not authenticated with Aadhaar. Accounts found to be suspicious will be closed.
The railways aim to ensure that genuine passengers receive all types of Tatkal tickets. Account holders who link their accounts with Aadhaar will get priority booking during the first 10 minutes of Tatkal ticket sales. Even authorized IRCTC agents are not allowed to book tickets within the first 10 minutes of the Tatkal window opening. Therefore, it has become necessary to verify your IRCTC account through Aadhaar.
“The Railways is planning to make the Tatkal ticketing process more robust by making some of the rules more stringent, such as allowing only Aadhaar-verified accounts to book online Tatkal tickets. Aadhaar-based OTP authentication shall also be required for booking. Counter-based Tatkal tickets may also be booked after Aadhaar verification to control malpractices in near future,” the official further added.
