ATTENTION train passengers! Indian Railways announces BIG change in Tatkal ticket booking, Aadhaar OTP must from…, no agent bookings in first 30 minutes for…

Starting July 15, 2025, all Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised railway agents will require an extra layer of verification through OTP authentication.

Indian Railways is bringing new rules for Tatkal ticket booking from July 1, and these changes are meant to make the system more fair and reduce cheating. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that from July 1, people booking Tatkal tickets will have to do OTP verification. This means when you book a Tatkal ticket, you will get a code on your phone which you’ll need to enter to complete the booking.

This change is being made to stop agents and middlemen from blocking tickets and selling them at high prices.

The minister also shared that the train reservation chart, which is now made just 4 hours before the train leaves, will soon be made 24 hours before departure. This will help passengers with waiting or RAC tickets plan better, especially if they don’t get confirmed seats.

Indian Railways has already started trying out this new charting rule in the Bikaner division, and passengers there have given good feedback. The plan is to expand it across India soon.

The Railways Ministry also advised passengers to link their Aadhaar with their IRCTC account to avoid any problems while booking.

These steps are being taken to make sure real passengers get a fair chance and ticket bookings become more transparent and smoother for everyone.

Aadhaar needed for online Tatkal booking

From July 1, 2025, if you want to book Tatkal tickets online through the IRCTC website or mobile app, you must first link your Aadhaar number to your IRCTC account and then complete Aadhaar verification successfully.

2. OTP required for booking Tatkal tickets online

Starting from July 15, 2025, anyone booking a Tatkal ticket online will also need to:

• Enter an OTP (One-Time Password) sent to their registered mobile number.
• This is to double-check the identity of the person booking.

3. Tatkal Tickets at Railway counters and through agents

From July 15, 2025, even if you book Tatkal tickets at railway stations (PRS counters) or through authorised agents, you will need to:

• Go through OTP verification here as well.
• This adds one more step of safety to make sure tickets aren’t misused.

4. Booking time limit for agents

To give regular passengers a better chance at getting Tatkal tickets, agents will not be allowed to book tickets in the first 30 minutes after bookings open.

Here’s how the rule works:

• For AC classes: Agents cannot book between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM
• For non-AC classes: Agents cannot book between 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM

This gives normal passengers the first chance to book tickets without competition from agents.

Why these changes?

Indian Railways is making these changes to:

• Stop ticket misuse
• Make sure real passengers get a fair chance
• Keep the system clean, transparent, and safe

Make sure you link your Aadhaar with IRCTC and keep your mobile number updated to avoid any trouble while booking Tatkal tickets in the future.

How to Book Tatkal Train Tickets on IRCTC

• Go to the IRCTC website: www.irctc.co.in
• Enter your username and password to log in.
• Choose your starting station and destination station.
• Select your date of travel and the class (like Sleeper, 3AC, etc.).
• In the ‘Quota’ dropdown, choose Tatkal.
• You will now see a list of trains for that route and date.
• Look at the train options and choose the class you want (like 2AC, Sleeper, etc.).
• The Tatkal quota will be shown on the side.
• Click on “Book Now” for the train you want.
• Add Passenger Details like name, age, gender etc
• Enter a mobile number to receive SMS updates.
• You’ll see a captcha code (a mix of letters/numbers).
• Enter it in the box to move ahead.
• Choose how you want to pay (UPI, debit card, net banking, etc.).
• Click on “Pay & Book”.
• Your ticket will be booked.
• A confirmation page will be shown.
• You’ll get an SMS with the ticket details (called a Virtual Reservation Message or VRM) on your mobile number.