Indian Railways has introduced a major update to the Tatkal ticket booking process starting December 1, aiming to make the system more secure and traveller-friendly. Under the new rule, passengers must now enter a One-Time Password (OTP) sent to their registered mobile number before their Tatkal ticket is confirmed. The ticket will be issued only after successful OTP verification.
The Western Railway has begun implementing this system on select trains, with the Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express becoming the first to adopt the OTP-based booking method. Railways officials have confirmed that the feature will be expanded to other zones once the pilot phase is reviewed.
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Tatkal tickets are meant for passengers who need to travel on short notice, but the system has often been misused. Issues such as fake mobile numbers, bulk bookings, and unauthorised agents blocking seats have made it difficult for genuine travellers to get tickets.
To curb these problems, the Railway Board approved the OTP verification feature. By linking bookings to a valid and active phone number, Indian Railways aims to remove fake identities and ensure that tickets are issued only to real, verified passengers.
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