IRCTC Tatkal Ticket Booking: Indian Railways have a special type of tickets called Tatkal Tickets for last minute bookings.These tickets are issued by IRCTC one day prior to your train departure. Tatkal tickets are reserved tickets which can be booked a day in advance of your journey for a premium price than the regular tickets.
IRCTC makes Tatkal tickets available under Tatkal Quota. The price of a tatkal ticket is the fare price of the journey + tatkal charges. However, it does not guarantee a confirmed ticket. You can get a Waiting List ticket and that has almost no chance of confirmation.
There are two types of Tatkal Tickets-
- Regular Tatkal
- Premium Tatkal
Difference between Premium Tatkal and Normal Tatkal Tickets :
Tatkal and Premium Tatkal work in the same manner. They only differentiating factor is price, i.e. one is available at a higher (more premium ) cost from the other
The main difference between the two is,PRICE
In Premium Tatkal Tickets, confirmed seats (If available) in a train are sold at a premium price. This arises due to dynamic pricing.
Booking Tatkal Tickets
Like regular IRCTC Train Tickets, tatkal tickets can be purchased either online or offline.
The offline mode : It is when you purchase the tatkal train ticket directly from the railway ticket counter.
The online Mode : It is when you make an online purchase. You can book Indian Railways Tatkal Tickets on IRCTC website or use booking apps that give a greater chance of confirmation like Railofy.
How to Book Tatkal Tickets
Time needed: 10 minutes.
Tatkal tickets are booked one day prior to the departure date of the train. For successful IRCTC Tatkal Train Ticket booking, follow the steps below –
- Step One :
Log in to your IRCTC account at the IRCTC website or Railofy App
- Step Two :
Fill in your source and destination railway station. Select the date of your journey.
- Step Three :
Now filter the results by selecting the Tatkal Quota.
- Step Four :
Select the preferred train and proceed to book
- Step Five :
Fill in the asked passenger details. Make sure you check it carefully before submitting it.
- Step 6
Now pick your payment choice and complete payment for confirming ticket booking.
Also Read : How to book confirmed train ticket
Tatkal Ticket Booking Timings
For AC class the ticket booking window opens at 10:00 AM. This includes train tickets for AC 1 Tier (1A), AC 2 Tier(2A),AC Tier(3A), Chair Car Coach (CC), Executive Chair (EC), AC-3 Economy (3E)
For Non-AC classes, the ticket booking window opens at 11:10 AM. This includes train tickets for Sleeper (SL), First Class (FC), and Second Seating (2S).
Tatkal booking timings are the same for online and offline. Tatkal Tickets are booked one day in advance of the date of the journey.
Confirmation of Tatkal Tickets
As there are limited tickets available in this quota, you can find yourself getting a Waitlist Tatkal Ticket.
As the priority of confirmation is given to GNWL (General Waitlist) the chances of WL tatkal tickets getting confirmed is very rare. It depends on factors like
- Available Tatkal Tickets.
- Route and duration of train.
- Date of journey, as during festive seasons, the chances are low.
Cancellation and Refunds of Tatkal Tickets
In case of confirmed Tatkal Tickets, there is no refund if the passenger cancels the ticket. However, if the train is canceled, a refund is processed. For waitlist tatkal tickets, you get an automatic refund post charting.
As per IRCTC Rules, passengers are not entitled to refunds for confirmed Tatkal Tickets. Refunds are only processed when
- The train is delayed by more than three hours at the originating point of the passenger and not the boarding point. (In case, the originating and boarding point of the journey are different)
- If the train has to run on a different/diverted route and the passenger refuses not to travel.
- If the diverted route of the train does not cross the boarding or destination or both the stations.
- For nonattachment of a coach in which Tatkal accommodation has been embarked but the passenger has not been provided accommodation in the same class.
- If the passenger gets accommodation in the lower class and chooses not to travel. If the passenger chooses to travel in a lower class, they are given a refund of the difference of fare and tatkal charges, if there are any.
In the case of the WL Tatkal Ticket (booked online), it will get canceled automatically. A nominal charge will be deducted, and the rest will be refunded.
Also, if tickets are booked via Railofy, you can avail of free cancellation.
Here’s a video on how free cancellation works
Tatkal Tickets Availability
The tickets available vary with different trains, their routes and duration. However, if you wish to calculate the exact no. of tickets, follow these steps.
Step One: Go to Indian Railways Enquiry Page- Welcome to Indian Railway Passenger Reservation Enquiry
Step Two : Click on the ‘Trains between stations’ option,located at the top of the page.
Step Three : Put in the train details. Add a date which is a day ahead from the date today.
Step Four : Now in the ‘enter quota’ drop down menu, just select ‘Tatkal Quota’, and select the train for which you want to find the tatkal details.
Step Five : 5. Click on ‘get availability’ option to display results.
Tatkal Ticket Fares
Below is a summarized Tatkal Ticket Fare list.
IRCTC Tatkal Tickets FAQs
Under Indian Railways Tatkal scheme,1 ticket (confirmed or unconfirmed) is allowed per user ID and 2 tickets per IP address. In order to book 4 tickets, use four different IDs and 2 different IP addresses.
The tatkal tickets are available for the users to book, one day before the journey date. The booking window for the same opens at 10:00 AM (for AC) and 11:00 Am (for Non-AC).
Tatkal tickets are available at a lower price as compared to Premium Tatkal tickets.
In case of confirmed Tatkal Tickets, there is no refund if the passenger cancels the ticket. However, if the train is canceled, a refund is processed. For waitlist tatkal tickets, you get an automatic refund post charting.
The number of tatkal tickets depend on different factors such as the type of train, the seat class and more.
According to Railways, a single user ID can only book two Tatkal tickets during the operating hours of 10:00–12:00. A day before the scheduled departure, Tatkal ticket reservations for AC classes begin at 10:00 am and for non-AC classes at 11:00 am.
Tatkal Scheme does not provide any concession/quota for senior citizens.
For offline, reach the nearest reservation railway counter. It’s recommended to come earlier so that you are among the first 10-15 in the queue. The tatkal tickets booking timings start from 10:00 AM (for AC) and 11:00 Am (for Non-AC) , one day before the journey date from the source station of the train.
