Indian Railways has made a major change to its online ticket booking system. Starting October 1, 2025, only those with Aadhaar verification will be able to book tickets online for the first 15 minutes after reservations open. This rule will apply to both the IRCTC website and mobile app.

The Railways' clear objective behind this decision is to prioritize genuine passengers in the initial ticket booking process. It's often seen that seats are pre-booked with the help of agents or software as soon as tickets open, causing inconvenience to ordinary passengers. Now, only genuine passengers will be able to book tickets immediately through Aadhaar verification.

What will happen to counter and agent bookings?

There will be no change in ticket booking timings at the railway station reservation counters. However, as before, authorized railway agents will not be able to book tickets for the first 10 minutes after ticket booking opens. This means that Aadhaar-verified users will receive priority over agents for 15 minutes, and for the next 10 minutes, ordinary passengers will receive priority over agents.

Technical Changes and Promotional Plan
The Railways has ordered the Center for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC to implement technical changes. A large-scale campaign will be launched to inform passengers about the new rules. The Railway Ministry has sent a circular regarding this decision to all divisions.

Benefits for Passengers
This change is expected to increase transparency in online ticketing. The biggest benefit will accrue to passengers who were often unable to get confirmed tickets due to the agents. While Aadhaar linking will prevent fraud, genuine passengers will have a better chance of getting seats in the early slots. Railway officials say this step will make e-ticketing more secure and will also curb the practice of booking tickets using fake accounts. In the future, IRCTC may work on a plan to further strengthen Aadhaar-based ticketing.

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