Indian Railways brings Aadhaar-only online booking slots to curb touts

Technology Dec 28, 2025

From December 29, 2025, booking general reserved train tickets online on opening day will be limited to Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts.
The move is meant to stop bulk bookings and give regular passengers a fair shot at popular trains.

How the new system works

Aadhaar users get exclusive time slots for online booking: 8am-12pm on Dec 29, then expanded hours in January.
If you prefer the counter, nothing changes—other IDs are still fine there.

Chart prep timings also tweaked

Reservation charts will now be ready earlier: by 8pm the night before for morning/afternoon trains, and at least 10 hours ahead for late departures, as per the latest Indian Railways guidelines.