CHENNAI: To ensure that only genuine passengers book tatkal tickets, Southern Railway has introduced OTP-based verification for tatkal reservations for 30 trains.

These trains are part of the 322 services nationwide that now require OTP authentication.

The system which came into effect last week applies to both e-tickets booked through the IRCTC portal and paper tickets purchased at reservation counters.

The initiative has slowed down the ticket booking process, but it is intended to prevent travel agents from securing tatkal tickets and reselling them at exorbitant prices.

The 15 pairs of trains include: Chennai-Mysuru Shatabdi, Chennai-Bengaluru Shatabdi, Coimbatore Shatabdi, Chennai-Nizamuddin Duronto, Chennai-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, Mysuru Vande Bharat Express, Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express, Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express, Coimbatore-Bengaluru Cantonment Express, Coimbatore-Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Madurai-Bengaluru Cantonment Express, Chennai-Vijayawada Vande Bharat, Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram AC Express, Chennai-Madurai Tejas Express, and a few other trains operated in Kerala.

According to officials, tatkal bookings for all other trains will continue without OTP verification.

“For e-tickets, the OTP will be sent to the mobile number linked to the passenger’s Aadhaar. For counter bookings, the OTP will be sent to the mobile number provided in the reservation form. Passengers must share this OTP with the counter staff to complete the tatkal booking,” an official said.

To prevent misuse of tatkal bookings, Indian Railways made Aadhaar verification mandatory for e-ticket reservations from July 1 this year. However, OTP-based verification has not been implemented for all trains.