To ensure that the benefits of the reservation system reach the common end users and to prevent misuse by fraudulent elements, reserved general tickets can only be booked through the website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) or its app by Aadhaar-authenticated users during the first 15 minutes of the general reservation opening, effective October 1, 2025. However, the schedules for purchasing general reserved tickets at Indian Railways' computerised PRS counters will remain unchanged. There is also no change in the existing 10-minute restriction during which authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways are not permitted to book opening-day reserved tickets. The circular further stated that the 'CRIS & IRCTC shall make necessary modifications in the system accordingly under intimation to all zonal Railways as well as this office.' It added that wide publicity will be carried out through all available channels to inform the public of these changes, and necessary instructions will be promptly issued to all concerned parties. A big step towards a smoother ticket-booking experience! pic.twitter.com/KEIBp48710 — Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) September 16, 2025 How to link an Aadhaar card with an IRCTC account? 1. Open your preferred web browser and log in to the IRCTC website using your credentials. 2. Next, click on the 'My account' option at the top and select the 'Authenticate User' button. 3. On the following screen, enter your Aadhaar or Virtual ID. 4. Before proceeding, double-check that the name, birth date, and gender are right. If you see an error, use the Edit option to amend these details. 4. Once completed, hit the "Verify details and receive OTP" option to acquire a one-time password on your phone. 5. Enter the OTP and read and accept the consent presented in the box. Press the Submit button to finish the login procedure. When you have finished linking your Aadhaar card to your IRCTC account, re-login, and you will see a green tick next to the option 'Authenticate user'.
