Will Mandatory e-Aadhaar Verification by Indian Railways End Tatkal Ticketing Chaos?

Securing a confirmed ticket on Indian Railways is becoming increasingly difficult with each passing day. Although Indian Railways continues to take various measures to address the issue, including increasing the number of trains for passenger convenience, some routes remain extremely busy, making it tough to get confirmed tickets. Booking a Tatkal ticket and getting it confirmed has also become even more challenging. To resolve these issues, Indian Railways has come up with a powerful solution. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced via a post on X that Indian Railways is preparing to implement a new system aimed at increasing the chances of ticket confirmation. A key change is that e-Aadhaar authentication will soon be made mandatory for Tatkal ticket bookings. The railway system is being upgraded to enable this feature.

Bharatiya Railways will soon start using e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets.

This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need.

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 4, 2025

Ashwini Vaishnaw shared important details about the new system, stating that it would significantly benefit passengers. According to him, the system will help genuine users secure confirmed tickets during high-demand periods. The initiative is expected to be launched by the end of this month.

Also Read: Pune: Husband Dies by Suicide, Blames Wife for Mental Harassment in Final Video; Case Registered

How Will the New System Work?
Currently, the IRCTC website has over 13 crore active users, but only about 10% of them have completed Aadhaar verification. Reports suggest that Indian Railways plans to tighten its rules, making Aadhaar verification a requirement for online Tatkal bookings to streamline the process and reduce misuse. Once implemented, only Aadhaar-verified IRCTC users will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets online. Additionally, OTP-based Aadhaar authentication will be required at the time of booking. There is also speculation that Aadhaar-based verification systems might be introduced at railway ticket counters to monitor irregularities in Tatkal ticket bookings.

In the past year alone, IRCTC has blocked 3.5 crore fake user IDs, highlighting the scale of fraudulent activity the railway system has been grappling with.