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Why did Indian Railways have to make changes in ticket booking, know the complete details?

Vivek Yadav 7/01/2025 11:17:00 PM
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Indian Railways implemented several changes to its ticket booking system starting July 1, 2025, to enhance passenger convenience, improve transparency, curb malpractices, and modernize the reservation process. Below is a detailed overview of the reasons for these changes and the specific reforms introduced, based on recent reports:


Reasons for Changes in Ticket Booking

  1. Enhancing Passenger Convenience: The previous four-hour window for preparing reservation charts often left waitlisted passengers with insufficient time to plan alternative travel arrangements, especially for those in remote or rural areas. Extending this window aims to reduce uncertainty and improve journey planning.
  2. Curbing Malpractices in Tatkal Bookings: The Tatkal system, designed for last-minute bookings, has been prone to misuse by agents and bots, reducing access for genuine passengers. Mandatory Aadhaar verification and restrictions on agents aim to ensure equitable access.
  3. Modernizing Infrastructure: The existing Passenger Reservation System (PRS) has a limited capacity of 32,000 bookings per minute, which struggles during peak demand. Upgrading to a system capable of handling 1.5 lakh bookings per minute is part of a broader push for a digital-first, efficient ticketing ecosystem.
  4. Financial Sustainability: Indian Railways has faced revenue losses, prompting a nominal fare hike to fund improved passenger amenities and services, generating an estimated ₹1,500 crore in additional income.
  5. Streamlining Services: The launch of the RailOne app consolidates multiple services (ticketing, train tracking, food ordering, etc.) into a single platform to address issues like app outages during peak booking periods and enhance user experience.

Key Changes in Ticket Booking (Effective July 1, 2025)

  1. Mandatory Aadhaar Verification for Tatkal Bookings:
    • From July 1, 2025, only Aadhaar-authenticated users can book Tatkal tickets via the IRCTC website or app. From July 15, 2025, an OTP sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number is also mandatory.
    • Agents are restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for the first 30 minutes of the booking window (10:00–10:30 AM for AC classes, 11:00–11:30 AM for non-AC classes) to prioritize individual passengers.
    • By the end of July, additional OTP-based authentication via Aadhaar or DigiLocker-linked government IDs will be required to further curb misuse.
  2. Advance Reservation Chart Preparation:
    • Reservation charts for long-distance trains are now prepared eight hours before departure, up from four hours. For trains departing before 2 AM, charts are finalized by 9 PM the previous night.
    • This change provides waitlisted passengers with more time to plan alternative travel if tickets remain unconfirmed, reducing last-minute uncertainty.
  3. Nominal Fare Hike:
    • Effective July 1, 2025, fares for non-AC Mail/Express trains increased by ₹0.01 per kilometer, and AC classes by ₹0.02 per kilometer. This applies to long-distance travel and premium services like Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, and Shatabdi.
    • Suburban trains, second-class journeys under 500 km, and monthly season tickets are exempt from the hike.
    • This is the first fare adjustment since 2020, aimed at improving service sustainability and passenger amenities.
  4. Increased Waiting List Quota:
    • The waiting list cap for AC coaches has been raised from 25% to 60% of total berth capacity, and for non-AC sleepers and second-class coaches, it is set at 30%.
    • This addresses underutilization and long queues in premium classes, responding to passenger feedback.
  5. Launch of RailOne App:
    • Indian Railways launched RailOne, a super-app consolidating services like reserved/unreserved ticket booking, platform tickets, PNR status, train tracking, food ordering, and grievance filing.
    • Features include multilingual support, single sign-on, biometric/mPIN login, and R-Wallet for seamless transactions. The app aims to replace multiple apps like IRCTC Rail Connect and UTS, addressing issues like outages during peak Tatkal booking.
  6. Modernized Passenger Reservation System (PRS):
    • By December 2025, a new PRS, developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), will handle 1.5 lakh bookings and 4 million enquiries per minute, a significant upgrade from the current 32,000 bookings per minute.
    • Features include seat selection, fare calendars, multilingual interfaces, and dedicated facilities for Divyangjan (persons with disabilities), students, and patients.

Impact and Future Outlook

  • These reforms aim to create a transparent, passenger-friendly, and efficient ticketing system, as emphasized by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
  • The changes address long-standing issues like agent-driven Tatkal misuse, limited booking capacity, and fragmented app experiences, while the fare hike supports operational improvements.
  • The RailOne app and upcoming PRS upgrade signal a shift toward a digital-first ecosystem, with pilot runs in select zones showing promising results.

Source Reference Links

Note: Some X posts referenced earlier changes (e.g., reducing the advance reservation period to 60 days from November 2024), but these are not directly related to the July 2025 reforms and were not included in the main response.

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