RailOne App Crosses 4.55 Crore Downloads; Indian Railways Deactivates 6.68 Crore Suspicious Accounts to Strengthen Online Ticketing Security
ndian Railways has significantly strengthened its digital ticketing ecosystem, with the RailOne App emerging as the country’s primary platform for railway services. Since its launch on July 1, 2025, the app has recorded more than 4.55 crore downloads and now facilitates an average of 9.65 lakh ticket bookings every day, highlighting the growing preference for digital ticketing among passengers.
Replying to questions in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said Indian Railways has simultaneously enhanced cybersecurity and anti-fraud mechanisms to ensure fair access to railway tickets. Between January 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026, the Railways deactivated over 6.68 crore suspicious user accounts and temporarily suspended more than 6.22 crore accounts pending revalidation to curb misuse of the online ticketing system.
RailOne App Witnesses Massive Growth
RailOne integrates nearly all passenger-facing railway services into a single mobile platform. Users can book reserved, unreserved and platform tickets, check PNR status, access train enquiry, lodge complaints through RailMadad, and use several other railway services without switching between multiple applications.
RailOne App at a Glance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | July 1, 2025 |
| Total Downloads | 4.55 crore+ |
| Average Daily Ticket Bookings | 9.65 lakh |
| Reserved Tickets | 2.75 lakh/day |
| Unreserved Tickets | 6.89 lakh/day |
According to the Ministry, the app effectively places the entire Passenger Reservation System in the hands of railway passengers through a single digital interface.
Online Booking Dominates Railway Ticket Sales
Indian Railways reported that between June 2025 and June 2026, a total of 65.08 crore reserved tickets were booked across the country. Of these, 57.90 crore tickets (89%) were booked online, while only 7.18 crore tickets (11%) were purchased through reservation counters.
Reserved Ticket Bookings (June 2025–June 2026)
| Mode | Tickets (Crore) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Online Booking | 57.90 | 89% |
| Counter Booking | 7.18 | 11% |
| Total | 65.08 | 100% |
The figures indicate that digital platforms have become the preferred mode of railway ticket booking for passengers across the country.
RailMadad Continues to Deliver Efficient Passenger Assistance
RailMadad, the integrated grievance redressal platform of Indian Railways, enables passengers to seek assistance through multiple channels including Helpline 139, the RailMadad website, mobile application and SMS.
During FY 2025-26, RailMadad handled 6,94,368 passenger assistance cases, with 89.49% of users rating the service as excellent or satisfactory.
Grievance Resolution Performance
| Financial Year | Grievances Resolved |
|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 99.98% |
| 2024-25 | 99.99% |
| 2025-26 | 99.98% |
The platform also enables passengers to provide feedback on complaint resolution, allowing the Railways to monitor service quality and improve passenger satisfaction.
Railways Tighten Cybersecurity and Anti-Fraud Measures
The Ministry stated that the Railway reservation system is protected by multiple layers of advanced cybersecurity infrastructure designed to prevent cyberattacks, automated ticket booking and fraudulent activities.
Key initiatives include:
- Aadhaar authentication made mandatory for online Tatkal ticket bookings.
- Aadhaar-based OTP verification introduced on selected trains.
- Multi-layer application security to prevent scripting, brute-force attacks and DDoS attacks.
- Deployment of Web Application Firewalls (WAF), Network Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems.
- DDoS mitigation capacity of nearly 30 Gbps through multiple Internet Service Providers.
- Deep and Dark Web monitoring and Digital Risk Protection services.
- ISO 27001-certified captive data centre with restricted physical access.
- Round-the-clock monitoring by CERT-In and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC).
Massive Crackdown on Suspicious User Accounts
To ensure genuine passengers get fair access to tickets, Indian Railways undertook a large-scale verification drive.
Action Taken (January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026)
| Action | Number |
|---|---|
| User Accounts Deactivated | 6.68 crore+ |
| Accounts Temporarily Suspended | 6.22 crore+ |
The Ministry clarified that no account has been deactivated merely because Aadhaar was not linked. Suspicious accounts were identified based on unusual mobile numbers, email domains, IP addresses and abnormal booking patterns.
Cybercrime Complaints and Fraud Prevention
The Railways also reported significant action against suspicious online activities during FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 (up to June 30, 2026).
| Action | Number |
|---|---|
| Complaints on National Cyber Crime Portal | 530 |
| Suspicious Email Domains Blocked | 13,343 |
The Ministry further stated that only Aadhaar-verified users are now permitted to book Tatkal and Advance Reservation Period (ARP) tickets, making the booking process more transparent and reducing misuse.
Billions of Bot Requests Blocked
Indian Railways receives billions of requests every month on its ticketing platform. A substantial share originates from automated bots attempting to manipulate the booking system. The deployed Anti-BOT technology has significantly reduced malicious traffic.
Bot Traffic Blocked During the Last Six Months
| Month | Total Requests (Billion) | Bot Requests (Billion) | Bot Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 12.35 | 7.26 | 58.78% |
| February 2026 | 11.01 | 5.01 | 45.50% |
| March 2026 | 12.44 | 5.71 | 45.90% |
| April 2026 | 17.33 | 10.64 | 61.39% |
| May 2026 | 20.07 | 12.08 | 60.18% |
| June 2026 | 19.12 | 12.61 | 65.95% |
| Average | 15.38 | 8.88 | 57.74% |
According to the Railways, the Anti-BOT system blocks around 64% of malicious booking attempts, improving website performance and ensuring a smoother booking experience for genuine passengers.
Over 22,000 Railway Ticket Touts Arrested
Indian Railways has also intensified its crackdown on illegal ticket touts. Between 2021 and June 2026, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested 22,676 touts and initiated legal action against them under the provisions of the Railways Act, 1989.
The government said that the combined impact of the RailOne App, Aadhaar-based authentication, advanced cybersecurity infrastructure, continuous monitoring, anti-bot technology and strict action against touts has made the Indian Railways online ticketing ecosystem more secure, transparent and passenger-friendly. The steady rise in online bookings further reflects growing public confidence in the Railways’ digital services.
