OTP to be introduced on Tatkal tickets at booking counters

After introducing Aadhaar verification for Tatkal bookings, Indian Railways has now taken another major step. Passengers buying Tatkal tickets from booking counters will now receive a One-Time Password (OTP) on their mobile phones. Only after entering the correct OTP will the ticket be issued. According to the Railways, this system has been introduced to curb the activities of touts during counter bookings.

Indian Railways has stated that the OTP system had already been launched for online Tatkal bookings a while ago. Now, the same method will be applied to tickets purchased from counters as well. Officials from the Railway’s commercial department say this move aims to make Tatkal bookings more transparent, secure, and convenient for passengers.

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How will this work?

Explaining how the process will work, officials said that when passengers fill out the form at the ticket counter, they provide a phone number. For Tatkal bookings, an OTP will be sent to that number. Only if the correct OTP is entered will the ticket be issued in the passenger’s name.

Railways has said that from November 17, this system has been on trial across 52 long-distance trains in various parts of the country. After being satisfied with the first 15 days of testing, the department has decided to implement the OTP system for Tatkal tickets issued at counters for all long-distance trains.

It is expected that this OTP process will significantly reduce the misuse of Tatkal tickets. However, questions are being raised about how “foolproof” the system truly is. If the goal is to stop touts, what happens if a tout writes their own number instead of the passenger’s? The OTP would then go to the tout’s phone. What is the Railways’ plan to address this loophole? Officials have not given a clear answer yet.