Indian Railways new rules from July 1: Tatkal booking, fare hike, more — 5 changes passengers should now

The Indian Railways has made a set of new changes that will be effective from July 1. The move marks a significant change in terms of railway fares, booking procedure, chartmaking and reservation protocols. The Railway Ministry had on June 30 notified about fare changes on certain routes.

Here are five railway changes from July 1 that passengers must know about.

1. Fare hike in some routes

For ordinary non-AC classes in non-suburban trains, second-class railway fares will increase by half a paisa per kilometre, subject to certain conditions. These are — No increase up to 500 Km; Increase by ₹5 for distance 501 to 1500 Km; Increase by ₹10 for distance 1501 to 2500 Km; and Increase by ₹15 for distance 2501 to 3000 Km.

Meanwhile, first class fares will increase by ₹0.5 per kilometre. For AC chair car, AC 3-Tier/3-Economy, AC 2-tier, and AC First/Executive Class/Executive Anubhuti, fares have been hiked by 2 paise per kilometre.

2. Aadhaar-verified Tatkal booking

Starting July 1, only users with Aadhaar authentication will be able to book tickets under the Tatkal ticket booking scheme, the railway ministry had said in June. “With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under Tatkal scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/ its app only by Aadhaar authenticated users,” the ministry said.

3. Restrictions for agents in Tatkal bookings

The June circular of the ministry also notified about a railway rule change for booking agents. As per the new railway rules, authorised ticketing agents of the Indian Railways will not be allowed to book opening day Tatkal tickets for the first 30 minutes after the opening of the window. This means they will be restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for air-conditioned classes from 10.00 am to 10.30 am and for non-air-conditioned classes from 11.00 am to 11.30 am.

4. Reservation charts to be prepared 8 hours in advance

Another Indian Railway rule change from July 1 is that the authorities have decided to prepare reservation charts for long-distance trains eight hours in advance, up from the erstwhile four hours. For trains before 2 pm, the chart will be prepared by 9 pm of the previous night. This move will reduce uncertainties for passengers with waitlist tickets. The first update on the waiting list will also be alerted in advance.

5. Waiting list caps increased

The Railway Ministry has enhanced the limit on passengers’ waiting list from 25 per cent to 60 per cent for all AC classes and 30 per cent for non-AC classes as part of the new rules.

This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc.