Indian Railways has witnessed a significant shift towards digital ticketing, with online reservations accounting for nearly 89% of all reserved train ticket bookings over the past year. 

According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, passengers booked around 57.90 crore tickets online between June 2025 and June 2026, while reservation counters issued only 7.18 crore tickets. 

During the same period, Indian Railways recorded a total of 65.08 crore reserved ticket bookings, highlighting the growing preference for digital platforms and the success of initiatives aimed at streamlining the booking process.

The government attributes this transition to stricter safeguards introduced on the IRCTC platform to curb fraudulent bookings and improve ticket availability for genuine passengers. 

Recent measures, including Aadhaar-based authentication for specific booking categories and enhanced verification mechanisms, have strengthened transparency while limiting the misuse of multiple fake accounts. These reforms are designed to ensure fair access to train tickets, particularly during high-demand booking windows.

The Railway Minister also clarified that IRCTC has not deactivated any user accounts solely for failing to link Aadhaar. Instead, the platform identifies suspicious accounts using indicators such as abnormal mobile numbers, disposable email domains, sequential user IDs, and unusual IP addresses. 

Between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026, IRCTC permanently deactivated more than 6.68 crore suspicious user accounts and temporarily suspended over 6.22 crore additional accounts for revalidation.

In another recent development, IRCTC rolled out a revamped beta version of its ticket booking portal featuring a modern interface, fewer booking steps, faster navigation, and an improved user experience. The upgrade complements the government’s broader digital transformation strategy while making train ticket reservations more efficient and accessible for passengers.

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