Indian Railways is set to hike passenger train fares for the first time in several years. The minor increase in fares will be effective from July 1, 2025. Sources told TOI that the passenger fare for non-AC Mail/Express trains will be hiked by 1 paise per kilometre. The fare hike for AC classes will be 2 paise per kilometre.Earlier this month, Indian Railways made a significant announcement requiring Aadhaar authentication for tatkal train ticket bookings starting July 1, 2025. Through a directive issued on June 10, 2025, the Railway Ministry has informed all railway zones that this new requirement is intended “to ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by the common end users.”The railways’ official notice stated that “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 has also announced that beginning July 15, 2025, travellers will be required to complete an additional step of Aadhaar-based OTP authentication whilst booking tatkal tickets.The new guidelines established limitations on Tatkal ticket reservations for authorised booking agents of Indian Railways.These representatives are now barred from booking first-day Tatkal tickets within the initial half-hour window. The restriction is effective from 10.00 am to 10.30 am for AC class bookings and from 11.00 am to 11.30 am for non-AC class bookings.The railway ministry has directed both the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC to make necessary system modifications and communicate these changes to all zonal railway divisions. This initiative seeks to streamline the Tatkal reservation process for travellers.This story is being updated