Indian Railways adds OTP step for Tatkal bookings

Technology Dec 03, 2025

Booking a Tatkal train ticket just got a little more secure.
Starting December 1, 2025, you'll need to enter an OTP sent to your phone to confirm your booking—whether you're using the IRCTC website, app, or even booking at the counter.
The goal is to cut down on fake bookings and make sure tickets go to real travelers.

What else should you know?

This new OTP rule applies everywhere you book and comes on top of things like Aadhaar checks for early morning tickets.
It's rolling out first on the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express and will expand to more routes soon.
Indian Railways hopes this makes ticketing fairer and builds trust in the system.