OTP Verification Now Mandatory for Tatkal Railway Tickets Purchased at Reservation Counters

New Delhi:

Railway passengers purchasing Tatkal tickets from reservation counters will now need to provide a one-time password sent to their mobile phones, as officials implement this new security measure to prevent misuse of the last-minute booking service.

The Railway Ministry has introduced this OTP-based Tatkal ticketing system on a trial basis beginning November 17. The initiative started with a limited number of trains and was quickly expanded to include 52 trains.

According to the ministry's statement, the system will soon cover all remaining trains across the network within the next few days.

The ministry explained that this OTP verification process was designed to make Tatkal reservations more user-friendly for genuine passengers. "This system requires passengers to receive an OTP on their mobile number provided in the reservation form when booking a Tatkal ticket at a counter. Ticket confirmation only occurs after successful verification of this OTP," the ministry clarified.

Railway officials emphasized that this initiative aims to eliminate misuse of the Tatkal service and ensure legitimate travelers have improved access to high-demand tickets. They added that this represents an important advancement in enhancing transparency, passenger convenience, and ticketing security.

In recent months, the Railway Ministry has implemented several measures to ensure fair ticket reservation access and discourage booking agents from manipulating the system for profit.

Earlier in July, the ministry made Aadhaar verification through OTP mandatory for online Tatkal ticket bookings nationwide. From October 1, the ministry also restricted reserved general ticket bookings through the IRCTC website or app during the first 15 minutes after bookings open to only those users with Aadhaar authentication.