Indian Railways Rules: Major news for railway passengers. This year has brought a lot of changes for train travelers. The Railways have updated several key rules, including ticket booking, waiting limits, Tatkal booking, reservation charts, emergency quotas, and the ability to change confirmed ticket dates. These updates have had a direct effect on millions of daily commuters.
Ticket booking isn’t the same as it used to be. The new system now includes features like Aadhaar-based verification, OTPs, restrictions on agents, and chart timings. If you’re not up to speed with these changes, securing a confirmed ticket might be tricky. So, getting familiar with these rules by the end of the year will definitely make your travel smoother.
Switch to the online Tatkal ticket system
Starting this year, booking Tatkal tickets on IRCTC has gone fully Aadhaar-based. From July 1, 2025, you can only get online Tatkal tickets after completing your Aadhaar verification. This is aimed at reducing fraud in ticket bookings and ensuring that genuine passengers get their tickets. Additionally, the Railways are now rolling out an OTP system for Tatkal tickets purchased at the counter. This means that when you buy a ticket at the counter, an OTP will be sent to your phone, and the ticket will only be processed after you verify it. This will help stop fraudulent bookings.
New rules about general ticket and date changes
Starting October 1, 2025, only users verified by Aadhaar will be allowed to book general tickets on IRCTC during the first 15 minutes. This aims to curb fraudulent bookings and black market activities. Additionally, from January 1, 2025, changing the date of a confirmed ticket will be a lot simpler. There will be no cancellation fee for date changes. If there’s an available seat, you can directly book the ticket for the new date. In the past, you had to cancel and pay a fee of up to 25%. If ticket prices have gone up, you’ll only need to pay the difference from the old fare.
Strictness on agents and new limit on waiting list
The Railways have taken a firm stand against unauthorized agents. Now, no agent can book tickets during the first 30 minutes when the Tatkal window opens. The ban is from 10 am to 10:30 am for AC classes and from 11 am to 11:30 am for non-AC classes. This gives regular passengers a better shot at getting a ticket right at the start. This year, the waiting list limit has also been revised. Now, waiting is permitted for only 60 percent of the seats in AC classes and 30 percent in non-AC classes. Women and disabled passengers are exempt from this rule. This change has been made to manage crowds and keep the system organized.
Reservation Chart and Emergency Quota Rules
Now the reservation chart will be ready 8 hours before the train departs. Earlier it used to be prepared 4 hours before. The chart for trains running before 2 pm will be ready at 9 pm the previous night. This will let passengers know in advance whether the ticket is confirmed or not. Along with this, the rules for EQ i.e. emergency quota have become more strict. If the train departs between 12 midnight to 2 pm, then the EQ application will have to be sent by 12 noon a day before. For trains running after 2 pm, the request will have to be given by 4 pm a day before. If the train departs on a holiday, the EQ application will have to be submitted on the previous working day.