Indian Railways is introducing a new rule for online train ticket reservations to curb misuse and give genuine passengers a fairer chance. Starting October 1, 2025, only IRCTC accounts linked with Aadhaar will be allowed to book reserved general tickets through the website or app during the first 15 minutes after the booking window opens.

The measure broadens the Aadhaar-authentication requirement, which until now applied only to Tatkal ticket bookings. After the initial 15-minute window, bookings by authorised ticketing agents or non-Aadhaar users may proceed as before via online platforms. Bookings through PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters remain unaffected by this change.

The government rationale is to ensure that the earliest quota of tickets—which often gets snapped up immediately on popular routes is not monopolised by scalpers, bots, or bulk-booking agents. Passengers are being advised to update their Aadhaar linkage in IRCTC accounts ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute hassles.