Railways Showcases Seamless Tatkal Train Ticket Booking
Indian Railways Train at a station (Image RailMinInd X)
Indian Railways to Introduce OTP-Based Verification to Streamline Tatkal Ticket Bookings
By Amit Kumar
NEW DELHI, June 14, 2025 – Ahead of the OTP-based Tatkal ticket booking, the Ministry of Railways on Saturday showcased passengers seamlessly booking their tickets in the Tatkal category from the counters. The Ministry of Railways shared videos of passengers who were able to book tickets in Tatkal category within “five minutes” from the ticket booking counters.
In a bid to enhance transparency and curb malpractices in the Tatkal booking system, Railways is introducing a new One-Time Password (OTP)-based verification system for booking Tatkal tickets. The Ministry of Railways announced the move via its official social media handle, emphasizing that the new system will ensure greater fairness and accessibility for genuine passengers.
Under the revised system, passengers booking Tatkal tickets through both the IRCTC website and authorized agents will receive an OTP on their registered mobile numbers at the time of booking. The booking process will only be completed once the passenger enters the correct OTP, thereby ensuring that the person booking the ticket is directly involved in the transaction.
The Ministry of Railways stated that this new feature is aimed at “bringing more transparency and minimizing the misuse of Tatkal booking by touts and unauthorized agents who often exploit automated scripts or multiple accounts to block tickets during the highly competitive Tatkal window.”
The Tatkal scheme was introduced in 1997. It allows passengers to book tickets at short notice by paying a premium charge. But the system has often been slammed for being exploited by touts and middlemen using technological means to corner bulk bookings, making it difficult for genuine passengers to secure seats, especially during peak seasons and festivals.
Railway officials believe that the OTP mechanism will serve as an additional layer of verification. It will make it harder for bots or malicious software to manipulate the system, they added. The Railways already implemented several technological interventions in the past to address issues related to Tatkal bookings. These include captcha verification, limits on ticket bookings per user ID, disabling of auto-filling software, and the introduction of Aadhaar-linked accounts.
The new OTP-based system is expected to complement these measures, further enhancing the integrity of the booking process. The new system is already being rolled out across various categories of Tatkal bookings, including AC and sleeper classes.
The Railways assured passengers that sufficient server capacity has been provisioned to handle the additional verification load without slowing down the booking process.
Key modifications in the Tatkal ticket booking system are aimed at enhancing user authentication and reducing misuse of the scheme.
The new provisions are as follows:
- Aadhaar Authentication for Online Tatkal Bookings: Effective 1st July 2025, Tatkal tickets booked through IRCTC’s official website and mobile app will be available only to users authenticated with Aadhaar. Further, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will become mandatory for Tatkal bookings made online starting 15th July 2025.
- System-Based OTP Authentication at PRS Counters and Agents: Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised agents will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.
This provision will also come into effect from 15th July 2025.
- Booking Time Restriction for Authorised Agents: To prevent bulk bookings during the critical opening period, authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window.
For AC classes, this restriction applies from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM, and for non-AC classes, from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About The Author
