Latest Updates on Tatkal Ticket Booking in Indian Railways (2025)
The Indian Railways has recently introduced significant updates to the Tatkal ticket booking process in an effort to increase transparency, prevent fraud, and provide fairer access to passengers. As of June 2025, these changes are being rolled out across IRCTC and railway counters nationwide.
1. Mandatory e-Aadhaar Authentication
One of the most important updates is the introduction of mandatory Aadhaar-based authentication for all Tatkal bookings. Whether booking through IRCTC online or at a railway counter, passengers must now verify their identity using e-Aadhaar. This change is intended to eliminate the misuse of identities and ensure that tickets are booked by genuine passengers.
What you need to do: Link your Aadhaar with your IRCTC account.
Ensure that your Aadhaar is updated with your latest mobile number to receive Otp.
2. 10-Minute Priority Window for Aadhaar-Verified Users
To give fairer access to genuine users, Indian Railways has introduced a 10-minute exclusive window at the start of Tatkal bookings:
AC Tatkal bookings: Start at 10:00 AM
Non-AC Tatkal bookings: Start at 11:00 AM
During the first 10 minutes of booking, only Aadhaar-verified users are allowed to access the system. Agents and unverified users will be blocked from booking during this period.
3. Enhanced Anti-Bot and Anti-Fraud Measures
Indian Railways has taken strict actions against fake accounts and bot-based bookings:
Over 2.5 crore fake or suspicious accounts have already been deactivated.
Advanced anti-bot detection tools have been integrated to stop automated ticketing.
The upgraded system can now handle