Railways new rule – only these people can book tickets at night, find out who

New Delhi: The Indian Railways is implementing new rules and regulations to bring greater transparency to ticket booking. The Indian Railways has taken a major step to curb ticketing fraud and provide better facilities to passengers. From now on, online ticket booking on the opening day of the reservation period will only be possible through Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts.

If your account is not linked to Aadhaar for any reason, you will only be able to book tickets at the designated counters. From January 12th, online ticket booking without an Aadhaar ID will not be possible. From December 29, 2025, only Aadhaar-verified users will be able to book reserved tickets online from 8 AM to 12 PM on the opening day of the reservation period. From January 5th, this time limit will be extended from 8 AM to 4 PM.

Railways provide important information

According to the new rules of the Indian Railways, from January 12, 2026, ticket booking will be possible only through Aadhaar-verified accounts for the entire day, from 8 AM to 12 AM, on the opening day. ​​According to the Railways, this rule will only apply to online bookings. There will be no change in the existing process of ticket booking at PRS counters. This will completely crack down on fake accounts.

Crackdown on Fake Accounts

According to Indian Railways sources, this step has been taken to eliminate the network of fake accounts. Around 3 crore fake IRCTC accounts have already been closed. The process of identifying and closing another 3 crore accounts is also underway.

In total, approximately 6 crore fake accounts are expected to be deactivated. According to railway officials, Aadhaar-based verification will ensure the identification of genuine users. This will prevent bulk bookings through fake profiles.

Limiting the online booking window to only Aadhaar-verified users will help curb fraud and unfair practices. Most importantly, genuine passengers will get tickets easily, and fraudulent ticket bookings will be stopped.