The new rule is meant to stop touts and middlemen from grabbing tickets as soon as bookings open. On busy routes and popular trains, tickets often get sold out within the first 10 minutes of the booking window.
The Indian Railways announced a new rule to stop misuse of its online ticket system and to make sure regular passengers get a fair chance. From October 1, anyone booking a general reserved ticket online in the first 15 minutes after bookings open will need to do Aadhaar verification. This means only users whose Aadhaar is linked and verified on the IRCTC website or app can book tickets during that short window. Officials said this step is meant to stop touts and middlemen from grabbing large numbers of tickets as soon as reservations open, so that genuine passengers are given priority.
The Railways also clarified that this rule applies only to online bookings. The ticket counters at railway stations will continue with the existing system, and their timings remain unchanged. Similarly, the 10-minute restriction already in place for authorised agents booking tickets on the opening day will also continue as before.
The latest decision by Indian Railways comes just months after Aadhaar verification was made compulsory for Tatkal ticket bookings from July 1, 2025. Under this rule, passengers must complete Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets, and bookings can only be made through the IRCTC website or mobile app.
In addition, authorised agents are not allowed to book Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes after bookings open. This restriction applies separately for different classes from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC classes, and from 11:00 am to 11:30 am for non-AC classes.
Meanwhile, in June, Railways had also changed the rule for reservation charts. These charts are now prepared 8 hours before train departure instead of 4, giving waitlisted passengers more clarity and extra time to plan their journey.
The Railways is also in the process of upgrading its Passenger Reservation System (PRS), being developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).
Once operational, the new PRS will be capable of handling ten times the current load, processing over 1.5 lakh tickets per minute and more than 40 lakh enquiries per minute.
With Aadhaar-based authentication for online bookings and early chart preparation, the Railways aims to make the ticketing experience more transparent, passenger-friendly, and efficient.
