If you are booking train tickets from the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) website or app, then know that after July 1, you will need Aadhaar verified OTP to book Tatkal train tickets. Also, OTP is going to be mandatory for Tatkal train tickets after July 15. Railways has recently changed 3 major rules related to ticket booking. Let’s know everything about it.
Aadhaar Verification for Tatkal Tickets
A big decision was taken by the Railway Ministry on Wednesday, where it was said that now users will not be able to book Tatkal tickets without Aadhar Authentication. This rule will be effective from July 1. It is worth noting that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said through a social media post that these rules will be implemented soon. This rule will stop the black market in railway ticket booking and common users will get more benefits from it.
OTP to be mandatory Before 2025
From 2025, only Aadhaar-verified users will be able to book tickets through the IRCTC website or app, whereas thereafter, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will also be made mandatory for instant bookings from July 15, 2025.
Ticket agents in trouble
The Railways has made another change, which says that railway ticket agents will no longer be able to book Tatkal tickets for AC class from 10:00 am to 10:30 am and for non-AC class from 11:00 am to 11:30 am.
Will you be able to know 24 hours in advance whether the ticket is confirmed or not?
If you book a train ticket, the chart is prepared 4 hours before the train departs and it tells you whether your ticket is confirmed or not. But now the Railways is working on a new project. According to reports, now the chart can be prepared 24 hours before the train departs, which will give you information about your ticket being confirmed 24 hours in advance.
When does Tatkal booking start?
First of all, know when you can book Tatkal tickets from the IRCTC site. As per the rules, Tatkal booking for AC category trains starts from 10 am every day, whereas Tatkal ticket booking for sleeper class trains starts from 11 am every day.
When should you login?
For AC or sleeper booking, you need to login 3-5 minutes before the scheduled time. By doing this, the chances of logging in at the right time without any hassle increase. Along with this, you should keep in mind that for Tatkal booking, you should never login 10-15 minutes before. By doing this, opening the Tatkal window will expire your login session.
Prepare a master list too
Before making Tatkal booking, you should create a master list by visiting the official website of IRCTC. By doing this, you will save yourself from having to fill in the passenger details during Tatkal booking and will also reduce the time of booking the ticket.