Indian Railways ‍to Prioritize Aadhaar-Verified Users for⁣ Tatkal Ticket Booking

Updated June 04, 2025
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The indian Railways ⁣is cracking down on misuse of its online ticketing system, IRCTC, by deactivating unverified accounts. Union ⁣Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced Wednesday that online aadhaar authentication will soon be required for booking tatkal tickets. This⁢ move ⁤aims to ensure genuine users can more easily secure confirmed train tickets.

The ⁤decision follows reports of automated tatkal ticket‍ bookings, where unauthorized tools adn bots are⁤ suspected of being ⁢used to gain⁣ an unfair advantage. The Railways is taking steps⁤ to counter this suspicious booking activity and improve the availability of Tatkal tickets for legitimate passengers.

An internal analysis of booking patterns between May 24 and June 2 revealed that only a small percentage of ‍tickets are booked in the⁣ first minute of the Tatkal window. Of the approximately 225,000 daily Tatkal bookings, the analysis showed that for AC class, only 5,615 tickets were booked in the first minute,⁣ against a daily average of 108,000 tickets. Around 86% of bookings occurred within the first hour, with some tickets still available up to 10 hours later.

A similar trend was observed in the non-AC category, with just 4% of⁢ bookings made in the first minute and 22,827 in the second, compared to an average of 118,000⁢ daily bookings. Over 84% of tickets were booked ‍within ‍the first hour, and 12% remained available 8-10 ‍hours later. This data challenges the common belief that Tatkal ⁤bookings close within seconds.

To combat suspicious activity, Indian Railways has implemented artificial intelligence and specialized tools to identify and block unauthorized ⁤bookings. Over the past six months, more than 24‍ million user accounts ⁢have ⁤been deactivated, and an additional 2 million have been flagged as suspicious and are under inquiry ⁤based on Aadhaar⁣ and other documents.

Currently, the IRCTC ‍portal has over 130 million active users, but ⁣only 12 million of these ‍accounts ‍are Aadhaar-verified.⁢ The IRCTC platform ‍plans to ⁣conduct a special verification drive for non-authenticated users, and any accounts found to ‍be suspicious will be suspended.

To prioritize genuine passengers, the Railways board has decided that aadhaar-authenticated users ‍will be given preference during the first 10 minutes of the‍ tatkal booking window. During this period, even ⁢authorized agents will not be allowed to book ⁢tickets, giving individual travelers a better chance to ⁤secure their reservations.

IRCTC account⁢ holders are encouraged to complete their Aadhaar verification as soon as ⁢possible to avoid⁣ suspension or deactivation and ensure uninterrupted access to premium‍ booking services. This verification process will help maintain‍ the integrity of the system and⁢ provide a more equitable booking experience for all users seeking Tatkal booking options. The move aims to reduce IRCTC ‍misuse and improve the online ticketing process.

what’s next

The Indian Railways will continue to monitor booking patterns and refine its security measures to prevent misuse ⁣of the IRCTC platform.Further enhancements to the Aadhaar verification process and the implementation of additional AI-powered tools are expected in the coming months.