Railways' big move: New tatkal ticket booking rules — no ticket without this!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): If you are also one of those passengers who often go to the railway station and stand in line to book Tatkal tickets, then this news is very important for you. Indian Railways has made a big and strict change in the Tatkal ticket booking process. Now, while purchasing Tatkal tickets from the reservation counter of the station, it will be mandatory for the passengers to provide the 'One Time Password' (OTP) received on their mobile. Now Tatkal tickets will not be issued from the counter without OTP verification. This step of the Railways has been taken to end the black marketing of tickets, fake bookings and the game of touts.

According to the new rule, when a passenger submits a completed reservation form at the counter, they must enter their correct and active mobile number. During the booking process, the system will send an OTP to this number, which the passenger must immediately share with the counter clerk. Only when the correct OTP is entered into the system will the ticket be confirmed and printed. This system will completely eliminate the possibility of blocking tickets using fake mobile numbers or false identities, as the ticket will now be directly linked to the passenger's mobile number.

Speaking to India TV Digital, Dilip Kumar, Executive Director (Information and Publicity) of the Railway Board, confirmed this new system. He explained that the Railways is implementing it in a phased manner to promote digital security. Previously, Aadhaar authentication for online bookings was introduced in July 2025 and an online OTP system for general bookings was introduced in October 2025, which has brought about a lot of transparency. A pilot project for counter bookings was launched on November 17, 2025, and has now been successfully implemented on 52 trains.

The Railways is now preparing to implement this system for all trains in the country in the coming days. Railway officials believe that this strict measure will not only bring transparency to the system but will also make it easier for ordinary passengers who genuinely want to travel to obtain confirmed tickets. The practice of brokers who previously used software or fake IDs to block seats will now be completely eliminated.