The Railway Board is expected to introduce rules on October 1, 2025, mandating passengers have Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts if booking general reservation tickets during the first 15 minutes of the reservation window for any train. The previous rule, applying only to Tatkal bookings, is now being extended to general reservations. This is done to deter fraudulent bookings and ensure access to genuine travellers.
How the new rule will work
For example, if a passenger wanted to travel on the Shiv Ganga Express from New Delhi to Varanasi on November 15, and the reservation window opened on September 16 at 12:20 AM, for the first 15 minutes, between 12:20 AM and 12:35 AM only those had Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts could make bookings for this train. Those without Aadhaar authentication will not be able to make bookings at all in this elevated demand period, 12:20 AM and 12:35 AM.
Impact during festival and wedding seasons
There is extreme demand for train tickets during major festival seasons like Diwali, Chhath Puja and Holi as well as during wedding seasons. This increased demand is especially true at the opening of the booking window (60 days prior to travel). Travellers scramble to get tickets booked through general booking and it is a similar thrill to the hustle seen on Tatkal booking. The new rule of Aadhaar-based registration will introduce an element of transparency when booking tickets for travel at this time and also lessen the chances of fraudulent bookings.
Aadhaar authentication is already mandatory for tatkal booking
This is not the first time Aadhaar authentication has been tied with booking train tickets. In July 2025, Indian Railways mandated passengers to have an Aadhaar-verified IRCTC account in order to book Tatkal tickets online. Passengers who did not have Authentication through Aadhaar would not be allowed to book Tatkal tickets online through the IRCTC website or its mobile app.
Steps passengers should take
Passengers are encouraged to connect their Aadhaar numbers with their IRCTC accounts enough in advance of October 1 to prevent any inconvenience. The general reservation booking period is open every day from 12:20 AM to 11:45 PM, with reservations opening 60 days prior to the travel date. The new rule will apply only to the critical past 15 minutes of the booking time period when demand for our tickets is the highest.
With these measures the Railways hope to provide a more secure and equitable ticketing experience for passengers all over India.
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