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Indian Railways’ new Aadhaar-based rule for Tatkal bookings has left seats vacant on high-demand routes like Delhi to Patna and Varanasi
Under the revamped rules, Aadhaar verification is mandatory for anyone booking Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website. (PTI Photo)
Just a day after Indian Railways rolled out its new Aadhaar-based rule for Tatkal ticket bookings, the results are already shaking up one of the country’s most hotly contested travel segments. On high-demand routes like New Delhi to Patna and Varanasi, where snagging a Tatkal seat was once a race against time, seats are now being spotted vacant, a rare phenomenon that has taken regular passengers by surprise.
The new rules, implemented from July 1, require Aadhaar authentication for booking Tatkal tickets online. In the past, ticketing agents often monopolised these last-minute reservations by using software to grab large blocks of seats the moment bookings opened, leaving ordinary travellers frustrated. The Railways’ move aims to shut that window of exploitation, and early signs suggest it’s working.
Many passengers took to social media to tag Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, sharing screenshots of empty Tatkal seats on trains headed to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Vaishnaw responded, saying the public is itself validating the success of the reform. “People are informing me directly that tickets are now available, even hours after Tatkal booking windows open,” the minister said.
Under the revamped rules, Aadhaar verification is mandatory for anyone booking Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website. Additionally, ticketing agents are barred from making any Tatkal bookings for the first 30 minutes after the quota opens, a measure designed to give the common man a fair chance.
For AC class, bookings begin at 10 am, but agents are blocked until 10:30 am. Similarly, non-AC Tatkal bookings open at 11 am, with agents restricted until 11:30 am. And the change doesn’t end with online tickets.
Starting July 15, passengers booking Tatkal tickets from railway reservation counters will also be required to furnish Aadhaar.
Prior to July 1, Tatkal quotas on routes like Delhi-Patna or Delhi-Varanasi would be snapped up within minutes, sometimes seconds. Now, those same trains are showing vacant Tatkal seats on the IRCTC website long after the window has opened.
Railway officials say the Aadhaar integration has not only curbed misuse but also restored fairness to the system.
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