In a bid to facilitate genuine users and prevent touting activities, a limit has been imposed by authorities on IRCTC online ticket booking and this has been cut to a maximum of 6 tickets in a month from the existing provision of maximum of 10 tickets by an individual user. This provision will come into effect from 15th February, 2015.

The revised rules for booking ticket through IRCTC are as follows:

1. Individuals are allowed only two tickets per user-ID in a day from 8 am to 10 am.

2. Individuals are allowed only two tickets per user-ID in a day for Tatkal booking from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.

3. A maximum of 6 tickets can be booked online in a month by an individual.

4. Quick Book Option is disabled from 08 am to 12 noon

5. All types of ticketing agents (YTSK, RTSA, IRCTC agents etc.) have been debarred from booking tickets during the first thirty minutes of opening of booking i.e. from 08 am to 08:30 am for general bookings, and from 10 am to 10:30 am and 11:00 am to 11:30 am for Tatkal booking in AC and non-AC classes respectively.

6. Booking is not allowed through e-wallet and cash cards from 8 am to 12 noon.

7. There is only one booking in one user login session except for return/onward journey between 08 am to 12 noon.

Officials at IRCTC state that this has been done keeping in view the analysis of usage of quota of 10 tickets which indicated that 90% of users are booking up to 6 tickets in a given month and only 10% are booking more than 6 tickets.