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Indian Railways, one of the world’s largest rail networks, is set to transform its ticketing system to deliver a smoother, more passenger-friendly experience.
The ambitious overhaul,includes an upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS), upping capacities by nearly five times. This would also include revised booking protocols bringing in OTP based authentication and linking it to Aadhaar to make ticket reservations more transparent, efficient, and accessible by December 2025.
Testing of the new mechanism was overseen and reviewed by Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, recently.
The centerpiece of the reform is a modernized PRS, developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), designed to handle a tenfold increase in demand. The new system will process over 150,000 ticket bookings per minute, up from the current 32,000, and support 4 million inquiries per minute, a significant leap from 400,000.
With a multilingual, user-friendly interface, the platform will allow passengers to select preferred seats, view fare calendars, and access tailored features for students, patients, and people with disabilities.
The upgraded PRS, according to senior Railways officials, will be designed to handle larger passenger booking loads by upto five times.
To address a longstanding issue for waitlisted passengers, the railway board will also shift the preparation of reservation charts from four hours to eight hours before train departures.
For trains leaving before 2 p.m., charts will be finalized by 9 p.m. the previous day. This change, to be implemented in phases, aims to reduce uncertainty, particularly for those traveling from remote areas or suburbs, giving them more time to make alternative plans if tickets are not confirmed.
In another significant move to streamline operations, and reduce tour menace, Indian Railways will tighten Tatkal booking rules—reserved for last-minute travel—starting July 1, 2025. Multiplayer OTP layered booking system, with mandatory use of Aadhaar (for booking tickets), will be introduced beginning Tuesday.
Only users authenticated via Aadhaar or other government IDs linked to DigiLocker will be eligible to book through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website or app.
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By the end of July, an additional layer of OTP-based authentication will be introduced to curb fraudulent bookings.
The reforms reflect Indian Railways’ broader push to modernize its infrastructure and improve service for millions of passengers daily.
With over 23 million travelers annually, the network faces immense pressure to deliver reliable and efficient services.
Published on June 29, 2025
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