Booking a reserved train ticket for long or mid-distance travel in India often turns into a race against time. With bookings opening 60 days in advance, many trains get filled within hours. Passengers are left with only one option—enter the long ‘waiting list’. But not anymore! Indian Railways is now taking firm steps to regulate this process and curb fraudulent activities.
🚨 Waiting List Ticket Cap Introduced
Starting July 1, 2025, Indian Railways will cap the number of waiting list tickets that can be booked for any train. According to the new rule, only 25% of the total seats in any coach (Sleeper, AC, etc.) will be allowed to be booked under the waiting list category.
For example, if a coach has 80 seats, only 20 tickets can be issued in the waiting list. This rule applies not only to regular bookings but also to Tatkal (emergency) ticket bookings.
This new policy aims to bring transparency and efficiency into the ticketing system, ensuring more fairness for genuine passengers.
🕵️♂️ Why This Change?
The primary reason behind this change is to crack down on ticketing fraud and agent syndicates. Many times, travel agents or touts book waiting list tickets in bulk and sell them at inflated prices, exploiting passengers during peak seasons.
In many such cases, passengers end up with tickets that are unlikely to get confirmed. Until now, there was no fixed limit on how many waiting list tickets could be booked — some zones allowed up to 300–400 waiting list tickets. This allowed the loophole to flourish.
🆔 Aadhaar Mandatory for Tatkal Bookings
In another major move to prevent misuse of Tatkal quotas, Indian Railways has announced that Aadhaar verification will be mandatory for Tatkal ticket bookings.
Whether booking through the IRCTC website, app, or even at physical counters, passengers will now need to provide their Aadhaar card details.
All IRCTC users must link their Aadhaar numbers with their user accounts to be eligible to book Tatkal tickets from July 1, 2025.
This Aadhaar linkage will help in:
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Verifying genuine users
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Preventing multiple bookings under fake identities
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Blocking bots and ticketing fraud software
🧾 Impact on Passengers
This change is expected to have a positive impact on genuine passengers:
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Reduced dependency on agents and middlemen
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Higher chances of confirmed tickets
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Transparency in seat availability
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Prevention of exploitation during festive seasons
However, Indian Railways also urges passengers to complete the Aadhaar linking process with their IRCTC accounts well in advance.
✅ Railways’ Stand: Passenger-Centric Reform
Officials from Indian Railways have emphasized that these new measures are part of their passenger-friendly reforms. By limiting the waiting list and enforcing Aadhaar verification, they aim to ensure that tickets go to real passengers, not to fraudulent networks.
The authorities also highlighted that steps are being taken to raise awareness through public notices, social media campaigns, and helpdesk support to ensure a smooth transition to the new rules.
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