The Railways has started a pilot that adds an OTP step to Tatkal tickets booked at station counters, beginning 17 November 2025.
Indian Railways is pushing through a wider overhaul of its ticketing system, driven by a nationwide shift to OTP based Tatkal bookings and a plan to move chart preparation to an earlier window. The new authentication process, introduced to make reservations smoother and reduce misuse, has already been tested on 52 trains and will soon cover the rest, according to ANI.
This follows Aadhaar based checks for online Tatkal tickets introduced in July 2025 and an OTP step for general reservations added on the first booking day in October 2025. Both changes caught on quickly and made the system clearer and easier for travellers.
The current pilot extends OTP verification to counters: passengers get a one time password on the mobile number they list on the form, and the ticket is issued only after the code is confirmed. The aim is to protect the high demand Tatkal quota from misuse and make access fairer for genuine users.
Railways is also preparing to shift charting to eight hours before departure instead of the current four. Cleared by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the change will be rolled out in steps and is expected to give passengers earlier updates on waitlist status so they have more time to plan their travel.
