Tatkal Reservations - Frequently Asked Questions

ok at Railways counter you'd need to arrive early as there will be plenty of people in the queue already. The earlier you go, the better your prospects of getting Tatkal tickets will be. Tatkal tickets can be booked at PRS Counter till it is open and you'll be given priority over those booking normal tickets. Go and stand before them.

At IRCTC site too you can keep booking Tatkal ticket throughout the day and night except for it's break time of 1 hour or so at mid night.

Remember you are allowed to book Tatkal ticket from any computerized counter. There is no difference between any counters except for the enquiry one.

What is the procedure to book ticket at the PRS Counter??

You need to take one ID card along with photocopy of it(both sides must).

Keep your reservation form filled, write "Tatkal" on the top of it as well as your ID number in Capital letters clearly.

You need to mention only the ID of one person. That person's name must be written first in the reservation form.

Then you'd need to stand in line.

How many passengers can booked at one Time??

Ans: Maximum of 4 passenger can be booked in any Tatkal ticket online or at the PRS Counter

Can I book Tatkal ticket for anyone else??

Ans: Yes you can but then you'd need to carry the person's ID card and photostat of it at the reservation counter. At online IRCTC portal you'd need to key-in that person's ID card number.

Do I need to type-in ID card number of all passengers while booking??

Ans: For booking at PRS counter, you need to specify ID Card Number of only first person. In case of booking online at IRCTC, you can specify ID Card number of all the persons. Remember at least one person who is travelling should have his/her ID card number in the ticket. So it's good you specify ID card of all passengers so if some don't travel, remaining can still travel.

How many days before can I book Tatkal ticket?

Ans: One day before. But this is not correct. It means Tatkal quota opens at 1 day before the train start from the first station. NOT FROM YOUR SOURCE STATION!

Even before 10 am I find Tatkal quota full. How can this occur??

Ans: It is because that train is starting from it's very first station today or it might have already start yesterday, or even before. For example a train going from Chennai to New Delhi takes 3 days and you want to book ticket from Agra to New Delhi. So Tatkal quota for all stations(including Agra) will open 1 days before it starts from Chennai

What is the trick to book Tatkal ticket quickly??

Ans: Here are a few of them:

Try to book ticket from PRS Counter at Railway station. Come and stand in queue early. Tatkal booking can be done from all the counters.

If your turn has come within 15 minutes in 99% of cases you'll be able to get your ticket

At IRCTC account try to use at least 2 accounts simultaneously. Remember the IRCTC site get severely choked between 10-10:45 am. Try booking only after this time.

I've made a mistake in booking, how to correct it??

Ans: No changes are allowed in Tatkal ticket and there is zero refund in case you cancel it.

I've lost my ticket can I get a duplicate?

Ans: Under exceptional cases Railways does allow you to get a duplicate but total charges will need to be paid in full. That means you should go to RPF and file complaint of loss of purse along with ticket. Then you can make a request for duplicate ticket.

I've lost my ID, or ticket lost, or Name/ID mentioned is wrong

Ans: Suppose you don't have ID in train. Then use this trick. In more than 60% of cases you'll be able to get through. When the TTE comes, just behave normally, with a pleasing smile, take out your purse and take out any id proof. In most of cases TTE will simply not check the ID. Even if he does so, you'll be considered ticket-less and most probably you'll be allotted same berths against full payment of normal ticket charges.

I want to cancel Tatkal ticket, is it possible??

Ans: Yes, you can but total money you'll get back is Rs. 0(zero). At the same time, Indian Railways will give your ticket to other wait-listed person

I see Waitlist 2 in Tatkal quota, will it get it confirmed if I book it??

Ans: Tatkal quota is independent and is not mixed with VIP quota or the quota for normal tickets. There are still a few ignorant people you try to cancel their Tatkal ticket expecting refund(I also was once fooled). So there is no harm in booking in Tatkal wait-list but getting confirmation chances depending on ignorant people cancelling their tickets. Remember you're entitled for full refund of Wait-listed Tatkal tickets.

In booking online at IRCTC are their any smarter people you are able to book tickets??

Ans: No it is not possible to book at peak times. IRCTC servers have low capacity. What happens is that when 20 times more traffic comes, the servers become extremely slow and IRCTC has not prioritized any accounts so that it can't differentiate between any account. All become very slow. You may be able to get past one page but will finally get stuck somewhere. The site gets responsive only after 10:30-10:45 am. By 10:30 am 90-95% of Tatkal tickets are gone and many people leave the site.

What are the ID Cards accepted for booking Tatkal Tickets??

Ans: Here are the list of ID Cards:

Voter Photo identity card issued by Election Commission of India.

Passport

PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department.

Driving Licence issued by RTO.

Photo identity card having serial number issued by Central/State Government.

Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students.

Nationalized Bank Passbook with photograph.

Credit cards issued by banks with laminated photograph.

Unique Identification Card "Aadhaar".

Photo identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertaking of State/Central Government, District Administration, Municipal bodies and Penchant Administration.

My son is 7 years old, will he need ticket and also I don't have his ID Card?

Ans: Yes you need ticket for those having age of 5 years or more. You can use his School ID card and it may be required if booked using his ID. But usually TTE's don't bother much about children till 8 years or more. You need not take their ticket. If it is night time TTE comes, even better, they won't even check your children.