New Delhi: If you use the Tatkal ticket booking service of Indian Railways, then this news is very important for you. Railways has made a big change in the rules of this popular service, which is going to be implemented from July 1, 2025.
Now Aadhaar verification has been made mandatory for booking Tatkal tickets. That is, passengers whose IRCTC account is not linked to Aadhaar will not be able to book Tatkal tickets either online or offline.
What is the new rule?
As per the instructions sent by the Railway Ministry to all railway zones:
- From July 1, 2025, Tatkal tickets will be available only to those passengers whose IRCTC account is linked to Aadhaar.
- Aadhaar based OTP verification will also be required from July 15, 2025. This will act as an additional security layer while booking tickets.
Strict conditions for agents too
Railways have also restricted the role of ticket agents:
- Agents will not be able to do booking for 30 minutes before Tatkal ticket opening.
- For AC class: Ban from 10:00 am to 10:30 am.
- For Non-AC classes: Ban from 11:00 am to 11:30 am.
Why was the change necessary?
This step of the railways has been taken to stop fake booking, duplicate IDs, and tickets being booked through bots. Reports suggest that as soon as Tatkal booking opens, thousands of tickets are booked within a few seconds, a large number of which are booked through ticket agents or illegal means. This makes it difficult for common passengers to get confirmed tickets.
What did the Railway Minister say?
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also recently hinted at this change. He said that Aadhaar verification will make the ticket booking process transparent and needy passengers will be able to get the right benefit of Tatkal tickets.
