Western Railway on Friday announced it was making an important change to the Tatkal booking system for trains to make ticketing more transparent and passenger-friendly.
According to an official statement, from December 1, 2025, Tatkal tickets for the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express will be issued only after passengers complete OTP (One Time Password) authentication.
Western Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek said that the OTP will be sent to the mobile number given by the passenger at the time of booking.
The ticket will be issued only after the OTP is successfully verified, the official said.
The new system will apply to Tatkal bookings made through-
– Computerised PRS counters
– Authorised agents
– The IRCTC website
– The IRCTC mobile app
Western Railway said the move aims to curb misuse, promote transparency, and ensure genuine passengers have better chances of securing Tatkal tickets.
“Passengers are advised to provide a valid and reachable mobile number during booking to avoid delays,” the Western Railway said.
