Train Ticket OTP– Big news for train passengers. To crack down on touts, the Railway Ministry has made it mandatory to book tickets only through the OTP of the mobile number linked to the Aadhaar card, but this rule will only be implemented after Diwali and Chhath Puja.
This means that passengers will not be able to avail the benefit of this rule during this festive season, because the OTP condition will be applicable on tickets booked on or after December 1.
Ticket booking opens two months before the scheduled train departure (date and time). Within seconds of booking opening, all train seats are booked, leaving passengers with waiting lists and no room. For example, if a train departs on December 1, 2025, then tickets for the same can be booked on October 1, 2025 at 8 am.The Ministry has said that all the tickets booked between 8 am to 8.15 am (for 15 minutes) will be booked on the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
An OTP requirement has been established, which will come into effect on October 1st. The ministry has also directed the Center for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to update its system. However, tickets for Diwali and Chhath Puja have already been booked, so passengers will be able to avail the benefits on tickets booked in December.
Whether it’s a regular reservation or a Tatkal ticket during the festive season, getting a confirmed ticket is a major challenge for travelers. Passengers line up in the morning before the booking window opens or start booking online as soon as booking opens two months in advance.
But brokers have faster internet access and ticket booking operators than passengers. Tickets become available two months in advance, and thousands of tickets can be booked for a single train within seconds.
The Railways imposed the 15-minute requirement so that even if agents of brokers attempt to book tickets, the OTP requirement will not be met. Similar guidelines have been issued for authorized agents.
Railways has already imposed OTP requirements at stations.
The Railway Ministry seems to be taking a serious approach not only to the IRCTC website but also to bookings made at stations. Authorized agents or brokers are not able to book tickets even at stations. To ensure this, passengers are required to provide their OTP when booking Tatkal tickets at railway stations.
In such a situation, only the Aadhaar-linked OTP of the person traveling is valid. Under the rules implemented on July 1st, Tatkal tickets are only issued on IRCTC and its app using Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers. Furthermore, authorized agents will not be able to book Tatkal tickets for AC class between 10 AM and 10:30 AM.
Similarly, agents will not be able to book Tatkal tickets for non-AC classes between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The railways have taken a good initiative by tightening the noose around authorized agents, but a network of touts exists across the country who exploit these fraudulent practices by booking Tatkal tickets from smaller stations.
Several cases of tickets being booked from smaller stations and sent to other states have come to light, prompting the Railways to take action, but many avenues remain open. Regarding this, the Railways has also directed the Center for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC to make the necessary changes.