IRCTC Aadhaar Linked Booking: This major railway rule will change from October 1st. Learn the important information before booking tickets.

IRCTC Aadhaar Linked Booking: Starting October 1st, Indian Railways is going to make a major change in online ticket booking. Let's find out what this change will be.

IRCTC Aadhaar Linked Booking: Every day, millions of passengers use Indian Railways for their travel. Keeping passengers' convenience and safety in mind, the Railways continuously updates its rules and policies. A new change is coming into effect from October 1st. Let's find out what this change is.

Changes in Online Ticket Booking

From October 1st, only passengers with an Aadhaar-linked IRCTC account will be able to book train tickets within the first 15 minutes of the online booking window. This will apply exclusively to bookings made through the IRCTC website and mobile app. Passengers who have completed Aadhaar verification of their IRCTC account will be able to book tickets between 8:00 and 8:15 AM.

Additionally, passengers whose accounts are not Aadhaar-verified will have to wait after the initial 15-minute window to book tickets. This change ensures that genuine passengers receive tickets easily and reduces the dominance of agents who book tickets in large numbers and sell them at inflated prices.

Getting Rid of Agents

The rationale behind this change is to prevent ticket fraud and misappropriation. Furthermore, by linking accounts with Aadhaar, the Railways can easily track and resolve complaints of misuse.

Tatkal Tickets and Aadhaar Verification

This is not the first time ticket booking has been linked to Aadhaar verification. In July, the Railways implemented Aadhaar verification for Tatkal train tickets. Only passengers with verified Aadhaar accounts can book Tatkal tickets within the first half hour of the booking window, preventing fraud on high-demand tickets.

Booking Time

Advance booking for regular tickets opens 60 days prior to the travel date and is available daily from 12:20 am to 11:45 pm. Under these new Aadhaar-linked rules, passengers with verified accounts will be given priority during the initial minutes of the booking window. The Aadhaar-linked booking rule is a major step towards making online ticket booking even more secure. All passengers will be required to verify their IRCTC account with Aadhaar before October 1st to take advantage of the priority booking window.