Under this mechanism, Tatkal bookings are confirmed only after OTP verification, a safeguard to ensure tickets reach genuine travellers.
Following the success of pilot runs, Indian Railways will soon extend its one‑time password (OTP) system for Tatkal ticket booking at reservation counters to all passenger trains nationwide.
“This initiative is aimed at curbing misuse of the Tatkal facility and ensuring that genuine passengers have better access to high‑demand tickets. This marks a significant step towards enhancing transparency, passenger convenience, and security in railway ticketing,” the Railways said in a statement on Wednesday.
Under the Tatkal facility, passengers can book tickets for almost all classes—from AC First Class to Sleeper—one day before the journey, with dynamic pricing applied to high‑demand routes. The scheme was originally designed to help last‑minute travellers but has often been misused by touts and agents.
The world’s fourth‑largest rail transporter had earlier introduced Aadhaar‑based authentication for online Tatkal ticketing in July 2025. This was followed by an OTP‑based online reservation system for all general bookings on the first day of ticket release in October 2025. Both initiatives have been successfully adopted by passengers, ensuring greater transparency and convenience in the reservation process.
Building on this, the Railways launched a pilot project for OTP‑based Tatkal reservations at counters on November 17. To date, the system has been extended to 52 trains. Under this mechanism, when booking a Tatkal ticket at a reservation counter, the passenger receives an OTP on the mobile number provided in the reservation form. The ticket is confirmed only after successful OTP verification, ensuring that tickets are issued to genuine travellers.