Indian Railways ticket booking: Be it Holi, Diwali, or Chhath Puja, booking reserved train tickets is like turning to Kashi. You’ve been waiting since morning. As soon as 8 o’clock, train ticket bookings open two months in advance. Within minutes, the entire train is full. Genuine passengers have to settle for waitlisted tickets. This will now be completely curbed.
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Indian Railways ticket booking: Getting a confirmed ticket on popular trains during the festive season is often impossible even two months in advance. It’s said that online ticket booking is dominated by brokers who manipulate software to secure all seats. To curb this, the Railways has once again taken a tough decision. Learn more about this decision.
What’s the Decision?
To curb brokers, the Indian Railways has already made Aadhaar authentication or verification mandatory for online ticket booking. This authentication occurs on the first day of the Advance Reservation Period (ARP). This means that if bookings are open two months in advance, tickets will not be booked without Aadhaar authentication early in the morning. Initially, this was mandatory for 15 minutes before booking opened, and later for two hours. Now, this time is being gradually extended. The necessary documents in this regard have been issued by the Railway Board.
What will the timing be now?
The Railways has further expanded the scope of Aadhaar-verified bookings on the first day of general booking. This time has been extended to 12 midnight (00:00 hours), and will be implemented gradually. Starting on the 29th of this month, it has been made mandatory from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Starting January 5th, it will be mandatory from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Starting January 12th, 2026, Aadhaar authentication will be mandatory for online bookings from 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM.
The Railway Board has sent a letter.
In a letter dated December 18, 2025, addressed to the Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCMs) of all zonal railways, the Railway Board stated: “In continuation of the earlier instructions regarding the requirement of an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account for booking general reservation tickets on the first day of the Advance Reservation Period (ARP), it has been decided to extend the scope of Aadhaar-authenticated booking for general reservations until 0000 hours on the first day of reservation, in a phased manner.”
Will the rules for booking at the counter change?
Railway Board officials state that there will be no change in the ticket booking process at the railway’s computerized PRS counters. This means that booking will continue as usual.
