Big change in Tatkal ticket booking from July 1, only Aadhaar-verified users will be able to book

Now ticket booking will not be possible through fake ID or fake account. This step of the Railways has been taken to make the digital platform more secure, transparent, and efficient.

There is some important news for railway passengers. If you plan to travel on the basis of Tatkal ticket, then the information about this change is very important for you. Indian Railways has made a big change in the process of Tatkal ticket booking and implemented a new rule, under which now only those passengers will be able to book Tatkal tickets, whose Aadhaar number will be verified with the Railways.

Why was this change made?

This new rule will come into effect from July 1, 2025. This means that now ticket booking will not be possible through fake ID or fake account. This step of the Railways has been taken to make the digital platform more secure, transparent and efficient. The official notification issued by the Ministry of Railways states that from July 1, tickets under the Tatkal scheme can be booked only through the website and mobile app of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

The railway official said that the Railways has taken this step in view of the cases of black marketing and fraud of Tatkal tickets. The official said that many people book tickets by creating more than one account and later sell them at higher prices. To curb this, now Aadhaar-linked identity has been made mandatory for booking.

How will the new system work?

Now it will be mandatory to link and verify the Aadhaar number with the IRCTC account to book Tatkal tickets. Users who have not done Aadhaar verification in their IRCTC account will not be able to book Tatkal tickets from July 1.

At the same time, Aadhaar-based OTP verification has also been made mandatory during Tatkal ticket booking from July 15. That is, while booking Tatkal tickets, an OTP will be sent to the mobile number linked to their Aadhaar, which the passengers will have to enter on the IRCTC app or website for ticket booking, only after which their ticket will be booked.

In this way, passengers will have to verify their identity at another level. This will ensure that the booking is being done by the right passenger, not through an agent or fake account. This rule will apply only to Tatkal tickets, not to general reservations.

New time slots set for agents

Railways has also set new time slots for Tatkal ticket booking of authorized agents with the aim of providing maximum benefit of Tatkal ticket booking facility to general passengers. Agents will no longer be able to book for the first half hour i.e. from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC class and from 11:00 am to 11:30 am for sleeper class.

Do this work for Aadhaar verification

If you have not yet linked your Aadhaar number to your IRCTC account, then do this work as soon as possible. For this, you will have to login to IRCTC website or app and go to My Profile section, where you will have to select the option of Aadhaar verification and do the verification, so that you do not have to face any problem during Tatkal ticket booking.

Now this information will be available 24 hours in advance

Railways has informed about another change related to tickets. Under this, now passengers will get information 24 hours in advance whether the railway waiting ticket is confirmed or not. Currently this chart is prepared 4 hours in advance. Railways has started the trial of the chart 24 hours in advance in Bikaner division. If the feedback is good, then it will be implemented in other divisions of the country as well.