RailOne App Ticket Booking: Big change in the rules of booking general ticket through mobile in train, ID proof becomes mandatory from July 15

If you also book general tickets from your mobile to avoid long lines at the railway station, then this news is very important for you. The Railway Administration has made a major change in the rules to make the system of online unreserved (general) ticket booking more transparent and secure. This new rule is going to be implemented effectively in the entire country from July 15, 2026. Now if you book a general ticket using the new official ‘RailOne App’ of Railways, it will be mandatory for you to enter your photo ID proof information while booking the ticket. What is the new rule and to whom will it apply? For online booking only: Railways has clarified that this rule will be applicable only to those passengers who book digital general tickets through ‘Railvan App’ in mobile. Discount on counter tickets: If you buy a normal ticket by paying cash by going to the ticket counter (window) of the railway station as usual, then there you will not be required to provide any kind of ID proof. That process will remain as normal as before. It is necessary to carry the original ID: After booking the ticket online, during the journey, you will have to physically carry with you the same original identity card (like Voter ID, PAN card, driving license, etc.) whose information you had entered while booking the ticket in the app. The game of screenshot and WhatsApp ticket is over, fine will be imposed. Often, after booking a general ticket from their mobile, passengers would take a screenshot of it or send its photo through WhatsApp to the mobile of another co-passenger. Railways has completely banned this under the new rules. Now the digital ticket will be considered valid only on the same mobile number and device from which it has been booked by logging in. While checking in the train, TTE will have to show the active ticket within the ‘Railvan App’. If you show screenshot or WhatsApp image, you will be considered without ticket and heavy fine will be charged as per rules. Step-by-step guide to book general ticket through ‘Railvan App’ Under the new rules, the process of booking tickets has been kept very simple. You can easily secure your ticket by following the steps given below: Step 1 (App Download and Login): First of all, download the new ‘Railvan App’ from Google Play Store or Apple App Store on your smartphone. After this, complete the registration process and login using your active mobile number. Step 2 (Fill journey details): Click on the option ‘Book Ticket’ or ‘General Ticket’ given on the home page of the app. After this enter the name of your departure station (Source) and destination station (Destination). Step 3 (Number of passengers): Select the exact number of passengers you want tickets for. Step 4 (Identity Card Information): Now the dropdown option of Identity Card will appear on the screen. Here you have to select the type of your photo identity card (like driving license, voter ID, PAN card, etc.) and fill its correct number in the box. Step 5 (Online Payment): After re-checking all the information, the total fare will appear on the screen. You can make secure online payment through UPI, Debit Card, Credit Card or Net Banking. Step 6 (Secure Ticket): Once the payment is successful, your Digital General Ticket will be generated in the ‘My Bookings’ section of the app, which will also have your ID number printed on it. Why did Railways take this tough decision? The main objective of Railways behind implementing this new rule is to curb black marketing of tickets and to stop unauthorized vendors. Many times people used to book tickets in bulk from their mobile phones and sell them to other passengers unethically, due to which there was a risk of breach in the security system. Now in app based booking, the real identity of the passenger will be directly linked to the railway database, which will further strengthen the security system in trains. What are the responsible officers saying? While giving official information in this regard, PRO of Prayagraj Railway Division, Amit Kumar Singh said that from July 15, whenever the passengers leave home for a journey, they should not forget to carry with them the original identity card whose number they have entered in the app. If during the journey the ID entered on RailOne App and the original ID held by you does not match, it will be considered as ticket tampering and strict penal action will be taken under Railway rules.