Train Ticket Booking New Rule: Indian Railways: Major Change in Online Ticket Booking Rules from October 1. Starting October 1, 2025, Indian Railways will implement new rules for online reservations.
For the first 15 minutes after booking opens for any train, only users whose IRCTC accounts are Aadhaar-verified will be allowed to book general reservation tickets through the IRCTC website or mobile app.
Train Ticket Booking New Rule, Check Here in Details:
Currently, this restriction applies only to Tatkal bookings, but from October 1 it will also cover general reservations.
General ticket booking usually begins at 12:20 AM every day and remains open until 11:45 PM. Passengers can book tickets up to 60 days in advance of their journey date.
Rush for Tickets During Festivals and Wedding Season
During major festivals like Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Holi, as well as the peak wedding season, demand for general reservation tickets is extremely high. As soon as booking opens two months in advance, tickets sell out quickly—similar to the rush usually seen for Tatkal tickets.
Earlier Rule for Tatkal Bookings
In July 2025, Indian Railways made Aadhaar authentication mandatory for booking Tatkal tickets online. According to this rule, only users with Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts can book Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website or app. Without Aadhaar verification, online Tatkal booking is not allowed.
The reason behind this decision is clear—Indian Railways wants to give genuine passengers priority during the initial rush for ticket bookings.
It has often been observed that as soon as booking opens, many seats are grabbed by agents or through automated software, leaving ordinary travelers struggling to get tickets.
With the Aadhaar verification requirement, only real passengers will be able to book tickets immediately after the booking window opens.
There will be no change in ticket booking timings at railway station reservation counters. As before, authorized railway agents will not be allowed to book tickets during the first 10 minutes after booking opens.
This means that for the first 15 minutes, Aadhaar-verified users will get priority, and even after that, for the next 10 minutes, regular passengers will still have an advantage over booking agents.
