Starting July 1, Aadhaar authentication will be mandatory for booking Tatkal railway tickets, both online and at counters, as part of Indian Railways’ crackdown on ticketing fraud and unauthorised agent activity. This move aims to ensure fair access to the Tatkal scheme and tighten security through OTP-based verification.
The Ministry of Railways has formally amended the Tatkal ticket booking process in a decisive push to curb the influence of illegal software tools and ticketing intermediaries. According to a notification issued on June 10, users of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and mobile app must authenticate their identity using Aadhaar-linked OTP from July 1. This new regulation will extend to counter bookings from July 15. Officials from the Railway Board indicated that this is a calibrated move to promote transparency and efficiency in one of the most misused segments of India’s rail ticketing system. Tatkal tickets, designed to assist last-minute travellers, are often snatched up within seconds, with many legitimate passengers left empty-handed due to interference from agents using bots and automated tools.
The new Aadhaar-linked protocol mandates that only users who have verified their IRCTC accounts via Aadhaar will be able to access Tatkal bookings. Furthermore, beginning July 15, users will be required to complete an additional OTP authentication step using their registered mobile number during each booking attempt. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the technology wing of Indian Railways, has been directed to ensure seamless integration of the Aadhaar-based system with the current digital and offline ticketing infrastructure. IRCTC has already initiated backend updates to support the implementation timeline.
The circular also specifies that ticketing agents will be barred from booking Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the quota’s availability — a provision that applies to both AC and non-AC class bookings. This means agents will not be permitted to make AC class bookings from 10 am to 10:30 am, and non-AC bookings from 11 am to 11:30 am. This clause aims to provide a level playing field to the average passenger by minimising the window for commercial exploitation during the most critical moments of daily Tatkal ticket releases. The Railways’ data underscores the scale of the challenge. On average, over 2.25 lakh Tatkal tickets are booked every day. During an internal study of booking patterns conducted between May 24 and June 2, it was found that nearly 67 per cent of AC Tatkal tickets and 66.4 per cent of non-AC Tatkal tickets were booked within the first 10 minutes of the booking window opening.
In the AC segment alone, roughly 5,615 tickets were booked in the very first minute daily, followed by nearly 23,000 tickets in the second minute — an indicator of the speed and automation involved. The remaining bookings — about 37.5 per cent — occurred between the 10-minute mark and final chart preparation. A small fraction, about 3 per cent, were booked over 10 hours after the opening window, indicating that peak demand is heavily front-loaded. A senior official overseeing the ticketing reforms stated that the Aadhaar-based e-KYC mechanism is essential to counter booking manipulation tactics and to ensure that human passengers, not automated bots, are availing the services. He added that this step also aligns with the government’s wider efforts to build a secure and inclusive digital public infrastructure.
The push towards Aadhaar integration in Tatkal bookings has sparked some concern over data privacy and digital inclusion, especially among rural and older populations. However, officials argue that the widespread availability of Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers and the success of Aadhaar-enabled payment systems suggest that the risks are manageable and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Industry experts and mobility advocates suggest that while the move is technologically sound, its success will depend on execution and user education. Issues such as inconsistent OTP delivery, authentication failures due to poor network connectivity, and challenges faced by passengers unfamiliar with digital platforms need to be addressed comprehensively.
This Aadhaar-based move comes in parallel with broader digital transformation efforts across Indian Railways, as it seeks to increase operational transparency, curb pilferage, and better serve genuine passengers in real-time. In the long run, it could also pave the way for more personalised and secure travel experiences by linking passenger credentials with journey history, preferences, and entitlements. From a sustainability perspective, a more efficient ticketing process reduces reliance on physical infrastructure, mitigates energy consumption at booking counters, and improves staff allocation. The system overhaul also indirectly supports better demand prediction and resource management, leading to less train congestion and more predictable services — a significant contributor to cutting the carbon footprint of railway operations.
The changes are part of a wider strategic narrative where Indian Railways is positioning itself not just as a transport provider but as a digitally empowered public utility geared for scale, efficiency, and inclusivity. As India aims to modernise its mobility systems under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, policy coherence, technical upgrades, and user-centric services are central themes. While critics may point to digital exclusion and the need for greater public consultation, the Aadhaar-linked Tatkal ticket reform signals a strong political and institutional resolve to reform public-facing systems. Whether this results in a net gain for passengers will depend on monitoring, feedback loops, and responsiveness to evolving user challenges.
As the countdown to July begins, Indian Railways is racing against time to ensure that the Aadhaar-linked booking mechanism is not just compliant, but user-friendly, accessible, and fraud-resistant.
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