IRCTC Tatkal ticket booking with e-Aadhaar authentication soon; users to get confirmed seats in need

The Indian Railways is planning to introduce mandatory e-Aadhaar authentication for booking Tatkal train tickets.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that the Indian Railways will soon have an e-Aadhaar authentication for booking Tatkal tickets.

“This move will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need,” Vaishnaw added in a social media post on X.

The move is aimed at preventing misuse and scalping of Tatkal tickets and increasing ticket availability for genuine users. The rollout of the updated Tatkal system is expected to be implemented later this month, the ET said in a report on Thursday.

Booking Tatkal tickets has always been a difficult process—tickets run out as soon as the booking window opens.

Currently, passengers can book tickets up to 60 days in advance. Nearly 20% of the tickets are sold through the Tatkal scheme, which allows users to book for their last-minute plans. The Tatkal quota opens for booking one day before the journey, typically at 10 AM for AC classes and 11 AM for non-AC classes. These tickets have a surcharge ranging between 10-30% for different classes.

Tatkal tickets are often used by agents who hoard them through automated bookings using unfair means. The implementation of the e-Aadhaar authentication will ensure that genuine users get access to tickets by only allowing individuals with Aadhaar-linked accounts to book tickets in the first 10 minutes of the Tatkal ticket sales, the ET report said quoting senior officials. Even the authorised agents of the IRCTC would not be able to book tickets in the first 10 minutes, the report added.

AI-powered bot mitigation

Out of the total reserved tickets, nearly 86.38% of tickets are booked online. The Indian Railways has completed a comprehensive digital overhaul to improve its ticketing infrastructure, aimed at curbing unauthorised bookings made by agents.

Indian Railways has deployed a new anti-bot system, integrating a leading Content Delivery Network (CDN) service provider to offer improved access to genuine users.

"The new system has effectively mitigated all bot traffic, which peaks during the first five minutes of Tatkal. Bot traffic accounts for up to 50% of overall login attempts during this period. This enhancement ensures better accessibility for genuine users," the Ministry of Railways said in a release on June 4, 2025.

In a landmark achievement on May 22, 2025, the highest-ever per-minute booking of 31,814 tickets was recorded, highlighting the robustness and scalability of the upgraded platform.