Railways Tighten Tatkal Ticketing with Aadhaar and OTP Verification; 2.5 Crore Fake IDs Blocked

National Times Bureau, June 11, 2025: In a significant move to curb misuse and improve fairness in Tatkal train bookings, Indian Railways has introduced a set of new measures aimed at curbing illegal ticketing practices and making the system more accessible to genuine passengers.

A railway statement confirmed that over the past six months, authorities have blocked 2.5 crore suspicious IRCTC user IDs, which were allegedly using unauthorized software or bots to book Tatkal tickets. To address this, Aadhaar authentication has now been made mandatory for booking Tatkal e-tickets through the IRCTC portal. For passengers booking tickets at reservation counters, providing a mobile number for OTP verification will also be compulsory.

Starting July 1, 2025, only users with Aadhaar-verified accounts will be allowed to book Tatkal e-tickets via the IRCTC app. The OTP-based Aadhaar authentication system is set to be enforced from July 15. This step is designed to prevent bot-driven bookings and ensure that tickets are made available on a first-come-first-serve basis to genuine passengers.

Moreover, the first 30 minutes of Tatkal ticket booking each day will now be reserved exclusively for individual passengers booking either online or at station counters. Travel agents and authorized booking agencies will only be allowed to access the system after this priority window—starting 10:30 am for AC class and 11:30 am for Non-AC class bookings.

For passengers who do not have Aadhaar, Tatkal ticket booking will continue to be available at PRS counters and through recognized agents, albeit with the new mobile number verification requirement from July 15.

Indian Railways stated that these reforms aim to make the Tatkal system more transparent and efficient, safeguarding it against software exploitation and ensuring that common travelers benefit first.