New Delhi, June 4
In a crackdown on unauthorised automated bookings, the Indian Railways on Wednesday said its AI-powered system has deactivated 2.5 crore suspicious user IDs for booking tickets.
Moreover, a landmark achievement was recorded on May 22, with the highest-ever per-minute booking of 31,814 tickets, showcasing the robustness and scalability of the upgraded platform.
The Ministry of Railways said in a statement that to further enhance fairness and efficiency, new user protocols have been introduced.
"Users not authenticated via Aadhaar can book Opening ARP, Tatkal or Premium Tatkal tickets only after 3 days of registration, while Aadhaar-verified users can book tickets without delay," it noted.
These efforts have delivered measurable improvements. The average daily user logins increased from 69.08 lakh in FY 2023–24 to 82.57 lakh in FY 2024–25, registering a 19.53 per cent rise, while average daily ticket bookings grew by 11.85 per cent in the same period.
Additionally, E-Ticketing now accounts for 86.38 per cent of total reserved ticket bookings.
The Indian Railways has undertaken a comprehensive digital overhaul of its ticketing infrastructure. Through the deployment of cutting-edge anti-BOT systems and integration with a leading Content Delivery Network (CDN) service provider, the Railways has significantly curbed unauthorised automated bookings by unscrupulous agents and improved the access of the website to genuine users.
The new system has effectively mitigated all bot traffic, which peaks during the first five minutes of Tatkal. Bot traffic accounts for up to 50 per cent of overall login attempts during this period.
The new AI enhancement ensures better accessibility for genuine users.
"Systemic upgrades include 87 per cent of static content being served via CDN for faster load times and reduced server load; active detection and mitigation of bot traffic using sophisticated AI algorithms and proactive deactivation of suspicious user IDs and complaint lodging via the Cyber Crime Portal," the ministry said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some good news! As someone who travels frequently, I've faced so many issues with Tatkal tickets getting booked instantly by bots. This AI crackdown is much needed. Hope genuine travelers like us can now get tickets without paying extra to agents. ðŸ™
The numbers speak for themselves - 19% increase in daily logins shows people are getting better access. But I wonder if rural travelers without Aadhaar will face difficulties with the 3-day waiting period? Digital India should be inclusive for all.
Great initiative! But 2.5 crore suspicious IDs? That's shocking! Shows how widespread the bot problem was. Railways should also publish how many of these were linked to travel agents. We common people suffer the most because of their malpractice.
As an IT professional, I'm impressed by the technical details - CDN integration, AI algorithms, bot mitigation. Finally seeing government systems using cutting-edge tech properly! 👠Hope they maintain this system well and keep improving it.
Good step but the real test will be during festival seasons. That's when touts become most active. Railways should run special drives before Diwali and Chhath to monitor the system. Also need stricter punishment for those running booking bots.
The Aadhaar verification is a double-edged sword. While it helps curb fraud, what about privacy concerns? And not everyone has Aadhaar linked to their mobile numbers. Hope Railways keeps improving the balance between security and accessibility.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.