Millions of people travel by train every day in the country. If you 're planning to book train tickets online, this is important news for you. IRCTC has implemented a major change in the rules for advance train ticket booking. Under the new rules, booking a reserved ticket without Aadhaar verification may be difficult. This change applies specifically to advance reservations that open 60 days in advance .

The new rule came into effect from January 5.

According to IRCTC 's new rules, starting January 5th, only those users whose IRCTC account is verified with Aadhaar will be able to book tickets between 8 AM and 4 PM. Passengers whose Aadhaar is not yet linked or verified will not be able to book tickets during this time slot . Such users will only be allowed to make reservations after 4 PM . Previously, Aadhaar- verified users were able to book tickets from 8 AM to 12 PM. This timeframe was later extended to four hours, but now it has been extended to a full eight hours. This means that Aadhaar- verified passengers will have a greater chance of getting a confirmed ticket.

From which date did the changes come into effect?

Indian Railways is implementing this rule in three phases. The first phase came into effect on December 29, 2025, when bookings were closed for users without Aadhaar-linked accounts from 8 am to 12 pm. The second phase came into effect on January 5, when this time was extended to 8 am to 4 pm. The third phase will then come into effect on January 12, when users without Aadhaar-linked accounts will not be able to book tickets from 8 am to 12 pm.

Why was this decision taken?

The Railways states that this move aims to ensure that genuine passengers receive confirmed tickets and curb touts and fake accounts . Aadhaar verification will make the booking process more transparent and increase the chances of ordinary passengers receiving tickets on opening day . It should be noted that this change will only affect online ticket booking. Currently, there have been no changes to the rules for booking tickets through railway counters. However, OTP verification will now be required even when purchasing tickets from the counter, and this requires that the mobile number be linked to Aadhaar.

Who will benefit the most?

This new rule will most benefit passengers who have already linked their IRCTC account with Aadhaar. Once the advance reservation period opens, only those users whose Aadhaar verification is complete will be able to book tickets . This will increase the chances of getting a confirmed ticket even more than before.

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