Indian Railways continues to roll out upgrades to its ticketing system in an effort to make travel more transparent, secure and commuter-friendly.
The latest move—mandatory OTP verification for Tatkal ticket bookings on select trains—is another step in this long journey to curb misuse and ensure that genuine passengers get fair access to high-demand seats.
As part of this initiative, the Southern Railway (SR) zone has now made OTP verification compulsory for Tatkal bookings on 30 originating trains, both at PRS counters and online platforms.
According to the zone, the measure is aimed at enhancing security and making the booking process safer and more reliable for passengers.
The selected trains connect major hubs such as Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, KSR Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Mysuru, Vijayawada, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai and Ernakulam, covering some of the busiest routes in the country.
A System in Constant Upgrade Mode
The Railways’ broader push to modernize ticketing has been ongoing.
In Parliament, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently stated that the reservation system of Indian Railways is a robust, highly secure IT platform, fortified with industry-standard cybersecurity controls.
To improve availability and fairness—especially in Tatkal bookings—the Railways has undertaken multiple measures:
- Revalidation and verification of user accounts
- Deactivation of over 3.02 crore suspicious user IDs since January 2025
- Deployment of anti-bot solutions, such as Akama, i to filter out non-genuine users
- Phased introduction of Aadhaar-based OTP verification for Tatkal bookings, now operational on 322 trains online and 211 trains at reservation counters
- Enhanced cyber security through firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, encrypted data centres and continuous monitoring by CERT-In and NCIIPC
According to the Railways, these steps have led to a noticeable increase in the time window during which confirmed Tatkal tickets remain available—suggesting some success in curbing automated and bulk bookings.
The Persistent Problem: Brokers and Backdoor Bookings
Yet, despite repeated upgrades and tightening of rules, ground reality often tells a different story. Regular commuters continue to complain that loopholes—small but significant—still exist.
These gaps are routinely exploited by brokers and quick-money operators who manage to corner tickets within seconds of bookings opening.
For many passengers, the experience is frustratingly familiar:
- You fail to get a Tatkal ticket—brokers claim they can “manage one” at a premium.
- Online reservations show no availability—agents offer to “arrange” confirmed tickets for a price.
Whether it is Tatkal or general online reservations, such practices continue to undermine the very purpose of reforms meant for the common commuter.
Hope for a Fairer Future
There is little doubt that Indian Railways is serious about reform and continues to invest in technology, cyber security and systemic checks.
Each new layer of protection narrows the space for misuse—but does not eliminate it.
Commuters can only hope that one day the Railways will succeed in closing these loopholes completely, putting an end to harassment and restoring faith in a system meant to serve the public fairly.
Until then, the reforms continue—and so does the wait.
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