Aadhaar mandatory for online train ticket booking: How to link Rail Connect app with Aadhaar?

The Indian Railway has made Aadhaar mandatory for booking general reservation tickets via the IRCTC website or mobile app from October 1 onwards. The tickets could be booked only from the accounts linked with Aadhaar, from the first 15 minutes after 8 am when the booking window opens, at least 60 days before the scheduled journey. Earlier, Aadhaar was made mandatory for Tatkal bookings. Now, Aadhaar has been made compulsory for other tickets as well, following complaints that a few agencies are booking tickets quickly using individual IDs with the help of AI bots.

Approved ticketing agents are not allowed to book tickets for the first 10 minutes after the booking window opens. This regulation will also continue. Meanwhile, the railways stated that tickets could be booked as usual at the railway booking counters and that there wouldn’t be any changes in the time schedules. The railways are considering making Aadhaar mandatory for booking tickets at the counter in the future.

Here’s how to link your IRCTC Rail Connect app with Aadhaar account:
1. Log in to your app
2. Go to ‘My Account’ (At the bottom of the ‘Train’ window)
3. Click on ‘Authenticate User’
4. Select Authentication Type
5. Pick ‘Aadhaar card/VID

6. Enter your Aadhaar number under your name
7. Check the box next to the ‘I confirm that details given....’ paragraph
8. Click on ‘Send OTP’ on the right-hand top of the window
9. Enter the OTP sent to your phone

10. Wait for a few seconds, as the ‘Submitting OTP’ window can take time
11. Click ‘OK’ at the bottom of the Aadhaar KYC window that appears
12. Once the process is successfully done, under the ‘Authenticate User’ section, your app will show ‘Your profile details are successfully authenticated with Aadhaar’