Indian Railways has launched a major change in the Tatkal reservation process.
Now, whenever someone books a Tatkal ticket from the reservation counter, an OTP will be sent to the passenger’s mobile number.
Only after entering this OTP will the ticket be issued.
This new system has started as a pilot project on the Rani Kamlapati–Delhi Shatabdi Express, making it the first train in the country to use OTP-based Tatkal booking.
Why This Change Matters
Railway officials say this system will help reduce the misuse of Tatkal tickets by agents.
Earlier, many agents would book multiple tickets as soon as counters opened and later sell them to passengers at high prices.
With the OTP rule in place, only one Tatkal ticket can be booked from a single mobile number at a time.
This ensures that the ticket belongs to the passenger and not an agent using fake details.
It also makes the process more transparent and helps prevent fraud.
If this trial works well, the same system will be introduced on other trains across India.
Plans for Wider Implementation
Around 30 percent of the Rani Kamlapati–Delhi Shatabdi’s 1,500 seats (about 450 seats) are now part of the OTP-based Tatkal quota.
Every day, about 550–600 Tatkal tickets are issued from Rani Kamlapati and Bhopal stations.
Since 10–30 percent of passengers on 130 trains from these stations travel using Tatkal tickets, this new system could bring a big improvement if expanded nationwide.
Tackling the Agent Problem
One of the biggest challenges for the Railways has been stopping agents from blocking Tatkal tickets.
Long queues of agents often left ordinary passengers at a disadvantage, forcing many to buy tickets at inflated rates.
To address this, agents will now be restricted from booking AC class tickets online between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. and non-AC class tickets between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m.
This ensures that genuine passengers get priority.
More Transparency for Passengers
According to Bhopal Railway Division PRO Naval Agarwal, the OTP-based system will bring more transparency to ticketing.
It will help curb illegal buying and selling of tickets, making Tatkal reservations easier and fairer for regular passengers.
