Indian Railways to Mandate e-Aadhaar Authentication for Tatkal Ticket Booking

Indian Railways is preparing to launch mandatory e-Aadhaar authentication for tatkal ticket bookings later this month. This initiative seeks to reduce misuse and scalping, ensuring genuine passengers have better access to tatkal tickets.

The rollout of this new system is expected to begin later this month. The move aims to curb misuse and scalping of tatkal tickets, thereby increasing the availability of train tickets for genuine passengers under the tatkal quota.

By linking bookings with e-Aadhaar verification, authorities hope to ensure a more transparent and fair ticketing process.

Tatkal tickets, which are meant for last-minute travel plans, have often been subject to hoarding and automated bookings by agents using unfair means. The new e-Aadhaar authentication will require passengers to verify their identity digitally at the time of booking, helping Indian Railways to curb fraudulent transactions and make the process more passenger-friendly.

Passengers will need to have their Aadhaar number linked to their IRCTC account. The verification process will be integrated into the existing booking flow, requiring minimal additional steps for users. Authorities have assured that the system will maintain privacy standards and comply with data protection regulations.