IRCTC Tatkal Booking 2025 New Rules and App

 

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🚆 IRCTC Tatkal Booking 2025: New Rules & Fascinating Facts You Must Know 

As a part of the big reforms, crackdown on misuse and to facilitate legitimate users, the Indian railways have also made some drastic changes in its Tatkal ticketing system whereby, the most significant of them takes effect on July 1, 2025. This is everything you need to know how to keep ahead of the curve.

 Changes in Tatkal Booking Rules (Effective from July 2025)

• Aadhaar Authentication: As of July 1st, the users of IRCTC service verified by Aadhaar would be the only customers allowed to book Tatkal tickets online.
• OTP Verification: OTP-based verification of the Tatkal bookings should be conducted with respect to all Tatkal bookings that are made online, at PRS counters and through the agents, since July 15.
• Agent Restriction : The agents are not allowed to book Tatkal tickets within1st 30 minutes of booking window.
• Reservation Chart Preparation Time : Chart preparation of the reservation will now take 8 hours before the train departure (instead of 4), which will allow a greater clarity to waitlisted passengers.
• Fare Revisions: There is a minor hike in prices of tickets and this hike is in all classes, particularly in long distance and premium trains Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat.

Know the Booking Timings

• For AC Classes (1A/2A/3A/CC/EC) booking opens at 10:00 AM (1 day before travel)
• For Sleeper Class (SL) booking opens at 11:00 AM (1 day before travel)

Log in at least 10–15 minutes before the window opens to be ready when the clock strikes.

Complete Aadhaar KYC in Advance

• Aadhaar verification is mandatory for Tatkal bookings from July 2025.
• Link your Aadhaar to your IRCTC account and verify passengers via the Master List.
• Without this, you won’t be able to proceed with booking.

Pre-Fill Passenger Details

• Save passenger info in the IRCTC Master List.
• This avoids typing names, ages, and ID numbers during the rush.
• Use browser autofill or IRCTC’s mobile app for quicker form filling.

Use Fast Payment Methods

• Prefer IRCTC eWallet, UPI, or NetBanking.
• Avoid credit/debit cards that require OTP delays.
• Load your IRCTC wallet in advance for one-click payment.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

• ❌ Don’t refresh the page after 10:00/11:00 AM—it may log you out.
• ❌ Don’t log in from multiple devices using the same account.
• ✅ Use different accounts on different devices if needed, but never duplicate logins.

Try the RailOne App 🆕

• Indian Railways’ new RailOne app offers a smoother booking experience with all services in one place.
• Supports Tatkal bookings with saved profiles and faster payments.

Interesting Facts About the 2025 Tatkal Overhaul

• 24 million suspicious accounts were deactivated in the past 6 months as part of the crackdown on ticketing fraud.
• AI and anti-bot systems are now deployed to detect and block automated ticket scalping tools.
• The IRCTC app now supports 1.5 lakh bookings per minute, thanks to a backend upgrade by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems).
• No fare hike for suburban and season tickets—commuters in metros like Mumbai and Chennai are unaffected.
• Priority for individuals: The new rules are designed to give everyday passengers a fair shot, especially during high-demand seasons like Diwali and summer vacations.