NEW DELHI: To book Tatkal train tickets from railway reservation counters, passengers will now have to provide a one-time password received on their mobile phones, a move officials say is aimed at curbing misuse of the last-minute ticket booking facility.

The Railway Ministry initiated the OTP-based Tatkal ticketing system for journeys booked from reservation counters on a pilot basis on November 17. It started with a few trains, and the number was soon increased to 52.

In the next few days, this reservation system at counters will be implemented for all remaining trains, the ministry said in a statement.

According to it, the OTP-based Tatkal reservation system was proposed to make the last-minute ticket-booking facility more convenient for common users.

"Under this system, while booking a Tatkal ticket at a reservation counter, the passenger receives an OTP on the mobile number provided in the reservation form. The ticket is confirmed only after successful OTP verification," the ministry said.

Officials stated the initiative is aimed at curbing misuse of the Tatkal facility and ensuring that genuine passengers have better access to high-demand tickets. This marks a significant step towards enhancing transparency, passenger convenience, and security in railway ticketing, they added.

In the past few months, the Railway Ministry introduced a couple of measures for passengers to get fair access to ticket reservations and discourage booking agents from exploiting the system for their own benefit.

In July, the Railway Ministry mandated Aadhaar verification through OTP for online ticket bookings under the Tatkal system across the country. From October 1, it permitted only Aadhaar-authenticated users to book reserved general tickets through the IRCTC website or app during the first 15 minutes after booking opens for any train.