New IRCTC train ticket reservation rules from Oct 1: Aadhaar must for booking in first 15 minutes

From October 1, 2025, Indian Railways will make Aadhaar authentication mandatory for booking reserved general tickets on the IRCTC website and mobile application during the first 15 minutes of reservation opening. The Ministry of Railways said the move is aimed at ensuring that genuine passengers benefit from the reservation system and that unauthorised individuals are prevented from misusing the platform.

The new measure will not affect the existing schedule for booking general reserved tickets at computerised PRS counters, which remains unchanged. The current 10-minute restriction on authorised railway ticketing agents for booking opening day reserved tickets will also continue without modification, the ministry clarified.

Aadhaar already mandatory for Tatkal tickets

This change follows Indian Railways’ earlier decision to enforce Aadhaar authentication for Tatkal ticket bookings beginning July 1, 2025. Under that directive, passengers are required to complete Aadhaar verification to book Tatkal tickets exclusively through the IRCTC website or its app.

Authorised ticketing agents also face restrictions under the Tatkal system. They are barred from booking first-day Tatkal tickets during the opening 30 minutes: from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC classes, and from 11:00 am to 11:30 am for non-AC classes.

The ministry said these layered restrictions across categories are designed to curb misuse, streamline the booking system, and make ticket access faster and fairer for passengers.