Tatkal Ticket Booking: Reservation Rules, Timings And New IRCTC Facility

No concession is allowed in Tatkal booking

Tatkal reservation facility was initially introduced in 1997 in around 110 trains to provide reservation to passengers who have to undertake a train journey at short notice. Later, the Tatkal scheme was extended to other trains. Some modifications have been made in Tatkal scheme from time to time. Recently, IRCTC, which provides online e-ticket booking facility for Railways, has introduced new facilities for payment of Tatkal tickets. Earlier these facilities were only available for paying for non-Tatkal tickets but now they have been extended to Tatkal tickets. IRCTC processes about 1,30,000 Tatkal transactions daily but bulk of these Tatkal tickets are booked within minutes of the quota opening. Booking for Tatkal tickets of AC classes open at 10:00 am and for non-AC classes at 11:00 am, one day in advance of actual date of journey, excluding date of journey. No concession is allowed in Tatkal booking.

How To Book Tatkal Tickets Through IRCTC's New Facility

IRCTC has introduced new facilities for payment of e-tickets, including Tatkal tickets: ePaylater (powered by Arthashastra Fintech Pvt Ltd) and Pay-On-Delivery (Powered by Anduril Technologies.

These options enable to book tickets first and pay later.

While making payment for e-tickets, you have to choose ePaylater/Pay-On-Delivery option.

For example, in the ePayLater option, you get the payment link through email and SMS on making your booking.

If you are availing the ePayLater option, it asks you to register first.

(The ePayLater option to book Tatkal tickets via IRCTC website)

You get up to 14 days to make the payment. Basically, ePayLater pays for you whenever you book a ticket. And you have to pay 3.50 per cent as charges, plus applicable taxes.
 

Some other points to know about Tatkal tickets in general:
 

No refund is granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets.

Where confirmed reservation has been provided to RAC or waitlisted ticket holder at any time up to final preparation of charts, such ticket shall be treated as confirmed.

RAC or waitlisted tickets: Refund shall be made if the ticket is cancelled up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, says IRCTC website.

If a train is running late by more than 3 hours or the train is cancelled, please file Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR) with proper reason for claiming refund, says IRCTC website.

In case of Tatkal ticket issued for travel for more than one passenger, some passengers have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage shall be admissible for confirmed passengers, subject to the condition that entire Tatkal ticket is surrendered for cancellation up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train, according to IRCTC website. (With Agency Inputs)