Archive · 24 Jul 2026
Bots Dominate India's Rail Booking Requests
In India, a lot of people try to book train tickets online, but many of these requests come from bots, which are like computer programs that book tickets automatically.
These bots make it hard for real people to get tickets, especially for Tatkal bookings, which are for the next day.
The government has been working to stop these bots by checking user accounts, blocking suspicious emails, and using special computer programs to protect the booking system.
They have also made it so that only people with Aadhaar cards can book Tatkal tickets online.
Despite these efforts, bot operators keep finding new ways to bypass these measures.
Bots account for 58% of India's rail booking requests, with 8.88 billion out of 15.38 billion monthly requests being rejected.
The government has deactivated three crore suspicious user IDs and blocked over 13,000 suspicious email domains since 2025.
Over 22,000 touts have been arrested by the railway protection police in the last five years.
The government has introduced Aadhaar-based one-time password verification for Tatkal bookings on select trains.
Additional protective measures include anti-bot solutions, network firewalls, and intrusion prevention systems.
- Who
- Indian Railways and bot operators
- What
- Bots account for 58% of India's rail booking requests
- When
- Ongoing issue with recent government actions
- Where
- India
- Why
- To combat ticket fraud and ensure fair access to Tatkal bookings
Government Measures
Bot Operators
Account Deactivation
Government Measures
The government has deactivated about three crore suspicious user IDs since 2025 to curb bot activity.
Bot Operators
Bot operators continue to find ways to create new accounts and bypass verification processes.
Technological Solutions
Government Measures
The government has implemented anti-bot solutions, network firewalls, and intrusion prevention systems to protect the booking system.
Bot Operators
Bot operators constantly update their techniques to bypass these security measures.
- Total Monthly Requests
- 15.38 billion
- Bot Requests
- 8.88 billion (58%)
- Suspicious User IDs Deactivated
- Three crore
- Suspicious Email Domains Blocked
- 13,000+
- Touts Arrested
- 22,000+
- Complaints Registered
- 530