Aadhaar OTP verification now mandatory for online Tatkal booking: Railways

Railway authorities have officially mandated Aadhaar verification through OTP for online ticket bookings under the Tatkal system across the country, a senior railway official said on Wednesday.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division, Northern Railway, Uchit Singhal, announced that from July 15 onwards, Aadhaar OTP verification became mandatory for online Tatkal booking.

Singhal emphasised that these amendments were made to ensure fair and transparent access to Tatkal tickets for passengers, protecting their interests and ensuring that genuine users benefit from the system.

"Passengers will not be able to get Tatkal tickets without verification through mobile OTP. Under the new system, Tatkal tickets will be available for booking through the IRCTC's official website, mobile app, or the Indian Railways' PRS counters," he said.

Tickets will be made available for booking through authorised agents only after authentication of the OTP generated by the Railway Reservation System, which will be sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking, he added.

"Those taking Tatkal reservation tickets will now have to carry a mobile with a SIM card linked to their Aadhaar number while booking the ticket," he said.

The railways also maintained that bulk booking will not be allowed during the first 30 minutes of the booking window.

"To prevent bulk booking during the initial period of rail reservation, authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways will not be allowed to book Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window," Singhal said.

This restriction will apply from 10 am to 10.30 am for AC classes and from 11 am to 11.30 am for non-AC classes.

The railway administration has requested passengers to take note of these changes and ensure that their profiles are linked with their Aadhaar number to avoid inconvenience.