Train passengers will soon have to link Aadhaar card for Tatkal bookings

The Indian Railways is making Aadhaar linking mandatory for Tatkal ticket bookings in a move aimed at ensuring fairness and eliminating ticketing fraud. As per a recent notification, users will need to link their Aadhaar number with their IRCTC login ID before booking tickets under the Tatkal quota.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the development, stating that e-Aadhaar authentication will soon be introduced for booking Tatkal tickets. “This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need,” he said, addressing long-standing complaints over mass blocking of tickets by agents.

The Railways is also using artificial intelligence to detect and deactivate fraudulent user IDs. Since deploying these tools, daily new ID creation on the IRCTC platform has dropped drastically—from around 60,000–65,000 to just 10,000–12,000. Officials revealed that over 3.5 crore fake user IDs have already been blocked.

In addition to Tatkal users, Aadhaar authentication will be extended to identify ticket-checking staff and train crew. Meanwhile, public frustration with Tatkal bookings continues, with many complaining about site crashes and tickets vanishing within seconds of opening.