Online railway ticket booking a big hit | Tatkal booking only by Aadhaar-authentication

Ever since railway tickets started being booked online, the facility offered by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is seeing almost 88 percent of reserved tickets being booked on the transporter’s website alone, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha recently, as per a PIB release.

However, to prevent misuse of reservation facility and to ensure transparency, the following steps have been taken by Indian Railways:

• With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under Tatkal Scheme can be booked through co.in or its app only by Aadhaar-authenticated users.
• During the opening day of general reservation of ARP, reserved general tickets can be booked through the official website or app only by Aadhar-authenticated users.

Measures taken in this regard have reportedly improved ease of booking by reducing instant booking of tickets.  The system has also been made more equitable by restricting multiple bookings using fake accounts.

• In FY 2025-26, as many as 48.25 crore tickets have been booked online, while only 6.15 crore tickets have been booked at the counters.
• During calendar year 2025, 3.04 crore user accounts were deactivated and 2.94 crore user accounts were put under temporary suspension with the option of revalidation.
• However, from 01.01.2025 to 28.02.2026, as many as 1,80,474 user accounts have been re-activated.

Aadhaar authentication provides instantaneous verification of user uniqueness, which is critical considering the time-sensitive nature of Tatkal ticket booking.

The introduction of Aadhaar authentication has helped in preventing the creation and operation of fake or unauthorized agent-controlled multiple user accounts by imposing a uniqueness constraint, the release said.

This measure acts as an effective safeguard against account multiplication and automated misuse, thereby ensuring fair allocation of Tatkal tickets.

Consequently, Aadhaar authentication has contributed to improved ticket availability for genuine passengers by reducing unfair booking practices and enhancing transparency in the online Tatkal booking system.