IRCTC New Rule: If you travel by train, this news could be very important for you. IRCTC has made a major change in its online ticket booking rules. Now, you will not be able to book reserved tickets at certain times without an Aadhaar-linked IRCTC account. According to Indian Railways, this decision has been taken to provide relief to ordinary passengers and to prevent fraudulent bookings.
Under the new IRCTC rules, users whose accounts are not linked to Aadhaar will not be able to book tickets on the day when reservation booking for a train first opens. This restriction is being implemented especially during the initial hours to give priority to genuine passengers.
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Change is being implemented in three phases
The Railways have decided to implement this rule gradually. In the first phase, ticket booking was restricted during the early morning hours for accounts not linked to Aadhaar. In the second phase, this time limit has been extended. In the third and final phase, ticket booking will not be possible throughout the day for accounts not linked to Aadhaar.
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According to railway officials, a large number of seats were being booked through agents, bots, and fraudulent software as soon as tickets became available. This prevented ordinary passengers from getting tickets. Aadhaar-based verification will ensure that tickets reach genuine passengers.
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This is the decision taken by the Railways
Now, an OTP will be sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number while booking tickets. The ticket booking will be considered complete only after entering the correct OTP. This will prevent one person from booking tickets through multiple accounts. If a passenger’s IRCTC account is not linked to Aadhaar, they will not be able to book tickets during the initial hours.
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Booking will be allowed only after a specified time. OTP verification has also been made mandatory when purchasing tickets from the reservation counter at the railway station. If someone is buying a ticket for someone else, that passenger’s Aadhaar and OTP will be required.
Process to link the IRCTC account with the Aadhaar
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Passengers can log in to the IRCTC website or mobile app, go to the profile section, and select the Aadhaar KYC option. After filling in the correct information, the account can be verified through OTP.
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The rule will be implemented across the country
This new system of Indian Railways is being implemented across all railway zones and routes in the country. Passengers traveling from any city will now have to comply with Aadhaar authentication.
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Booking will now open 60 days in advance
The railways have also reduced the booking period for tickets. Previously, tickets could be booked 120 days in advance, but this limit has now been reduced to 60 days. Booking for the new day opens every day at 8 AM.