Image showing an Indian Railways train. For representational purposes.
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The Indian Railways is set to implement some major changes with regards to Tatkal booking, chart preparation and fares from July 1.
The changes in Tatkal booking (booking tickets one day before the journey) have been implemented in the backdrop of several users complaining of facing issues while getting their booking confirmed on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) app. The tickets would sell out within minutes of portal opening while users would be logged out of their accounts.
Here is all you need to know about the major changes in railways passenger reservation system coming to force from today.
Only Aadhaar authenticated Tatkal bookings
Only Aadhar authenticated users will be able to book tickets under the Tatkal scheme from July 1, 2025, onwards, the Railway Ministry announced earlier this month.
In a circular dated June 10, 2025, the ministry informed all zones that this decision was made "to ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by the common end users."
Subsequently, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will also be made compulsory for Tatkal bookings from July 15, 2025, onwards.
"Tatkal tickets shall be available for booking through computerized PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters of Indian Railways/authorized agents only after authentication of a system-generated OTP, which shall be sent through the system on the mobile number furnished by the users at the time of booking. This shall also be implemented by 15/07/2025," the circular further stated.
The circular also specified that authorized ticketing agents of the Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window. Specifically, they will be restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for air-conditioned classes from 10.00 am to 10.30 am and for non-air-conditioned classes from 11.00 am to 11.30 am.
Fares of AC classes hiked by 2 paise, non-AC by 1 paisa per km
The Railway Ministry issued an official circular earlier this month increasing fares of non-AC class in mail and express trains by 1 paisa and all AC classes by 2 paise per kilometre from July 1.
The fares of suburban trains and monthly season tickets have been left unchanged in the interest of daily commuters.
Ordinary second class fare has not been increased for up to 500 kms and for distances beyond that, there is an increase in the ticket prices by half paisa per km.
The passengers of ordinary sleeper class and first class will also have to pay half paisa per km more for train journey from July 1.
Reservation charts eight hours in advance
The Ministry of Railways has decided to prepare reservation charts for long-distance trains eight hours in advance, instead of the current four hours, to help passengers travelling from remote locations plan their journeys better.
The decision was taken during a recent review meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a statement issued by the ministry said.
For trains departing before 2 pm, the charts will be prepared the previous night at 9 pm, the statement said, adding that the minister has directed the change to be implemented in a phased manner to ensure no disruptions.
This move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlist tickets, it said, adding that the first update on waitlist status will be shared in advance.
The Indian Railways is currently upgrading its passenger reservation system. The project is being executed for the last few months by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) which aims to complete it by December 2025.
The ministry has said that the new PRS has a multilingual and user-friendly booking and enquiry interface. In the new PRS, users will be able to submit their choice of seat and see the fare calendar. It also has integrated facilities for Divyangjan, students and patients, officials said.
(With PTI inputs)