Indian Railways has rolled out a series of major updates to its ticketing system to stop illegal agents and touts from hoarding seats. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced these measures to ensure that genuine passengers get a fair chance at booking confirmed tickets. The changes include Aadhaar-based verification and stricter refund rules that will affect how people book and cancel their journeys.
📰: Indian Railways Update: Passengers can now change boarding station 30 minutes before train departure।
Key updates to stop ticket hoarding and touting
- Aadhaar-based OTP: Mandatory for online Tatkal bookings to verify user identity and restrict fake accounts.
- Agent Restrictions: Authorized agents cannot book tickets during the first 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window.
- Anti-bot Technology: Advanced solutions like AKAMAL are filtering out automated booking scripts and malicious requests.
- Account Cleanup: Over 3.03 crore suspicious user IDs have been deactivated since early 2025 following rigorous verification.
New rules for ticket cancellation and refunds
New refund norms will be implemented in phases between April 1 and April 15, 2026. These rules aim to prevent touts from booking bulk tickets and getting easy refunds for unsold seats.
| Time of Cancellation | Refund Percentage |
|---|---|
| Less than 8 hours before departure | No Refund |
| Between 8 and 24 hours before departure | 50% Refund |
| Between 24 and 72 hours before departure | 25% Refund |
| More than 72 hours before departure | Maximum refund minus flat fee |
System security and passenger flexibility
Passengers can now change their boarding station up to 30 minutes before the train leaves. The reservation system is managed by CRIS and RailTel with 24-hour surveillance to block malicious requests and ensure security. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that these steps have already improved the availability of confirmed Tatkal tickets in over 65 percent of trains. The system is being hosted in a secure data center to protect passenger information and maintain transparency.