Indian Railways will now allow online train ticket bookings on the first day of the Advance Reservation Period only for Aadhaar-verified users between 8 am and noon, starting Monday, December 29.
This rule has been introduced as part of the first phase of changes to the ticket booking system on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) platform. IRCTC is the government-owned body that handles online ticketing, catering and tourism services for Indian Railways.
The special booking window is meant to give priority to genuine passengers and reduce the role of agents. The timing of this exclusive window will be increased further in the coming weeks.
Check updated timings
From January 5, the second phase will begin, under which Aadhaar-verified users will be able to book tickets till 4 pm on the opening day. In the third phase, starting January 12, these users will get exclusive access to online ticket booking from 8 am to midnight.
These changes apply only to online bookings made through the IRCTC website and mobile app. The process of booking tickets manually at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters with valid ID proof will remain the same.
| Phase | Start date | Booking access for Aadhaar-verified users | Applicable platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Phase | January 5 | From 8 am to 4 pm on the opening day | IRCTC website and mobile app |
| Third Phase | January 12 | Exclusive access from 8 am to midnight | IRCTC website and mobile app |
What the Railway Board said
In a letter sent to all Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCMs), the Railway Board said: “In continuation of the earlier instructions issued regarding requirement of Aadhaar authenticated IRCTC account for booking of General reserved tickets on the opening day of Advance Reservation Period (ARP), it has been decided to expand the scope of Aadhaar authenticated booking for general reservation on the opening day of reservation upto 0000 hours of the day in a phased manner.”
Tatkal booking already limited to Aadhaar users
Earlier in June, Indian Railways had limited Tatkal ticket bookings to Aadhaar-authenticated users only. The Tatkal scheme allows passengers to book tickets at short notice.
At that time, the railway ministry said the decision was taken to prevent misuse and to ensure that genuine passengers benefit from the scheme instead of agents.
Recently, Indian Railways also changed the timing of reservation chart preparation. As reported by Navbharat Times, reservation charts will now be prepared 10 hours before the scheduled departure of trains, instead of just four hours earlier. This change is expected to help passengers who earlier had to reach stations and wait till the last moment to know if their seats were confirmed.
As per the latest guidelines, for trains departing between 05:01 hrs and 14:00 hrs, the first reservation chart will preferably be prepared by 20:00 hrs on the previous day.
For trains departing between 14:01 hrs and 23:59 hrs, as well as those leaving between 00:00 hrs and 05:00 hrs, the first reservation chart will preferably be prepared at least 10 hours before departure.