Indian Railways Tatkal Ticket Reservation: Booking Facility, Cancellation Rules, Charges

Indian Railways' Tatkal ticket booking provides reservation to passengers looking to travel at a short notice. It is available on payment of premium charges on a first-come-first-served basis. Passengers can book Tatkal tickets online via IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) official website- irctc.co.in. For offline mode, passengers can approach the reservation counters and avail the facility. A maximum of four passengers per PNR (Passenger Name Record) can be booked on Tatkal tickets, noted Indian Railways on its official website- indianrail.gov.in.

Timings of Tatkal ticket booking

Tatkal booking for AC classes opens at 10:00 am on the previous day of journey excluding date of journey from the train-originating station. For non-AC classes, Tatkal booking starts at 11:00 am on the previous day of journey excluding date of journey from the train-originating station.

Charges of Tatkal ticket

Tatkal charges have been fixed as a percentage of fare at the rate of 10 per cent of basic fare for second class and 30 per cent of basic fare for all other classes subject to minimum and maximum limits as mentioned here:

Cancellation of Tatkal tickets

The Railways grants no refund on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets/duplicate Tatkal tickets except in certain circumstances, noted Indian Railways. Here are the conditions under which full refund is granted on Tatkal tickets:

1. Indian Railways grants full refund on Tatkal tickets if the train is delayed by more than three hours from the journey-originating point of the passenger. However, this rule is not applicable for boarding point in case the passenger's journey-originating and boarding points are different.

2. If the train is to run on a diverted route and passenger is not willing to travel, he/she can claim for full refund of Tatkal ticket prices, said Indian Railways.

3. Passengers can also claim for complete refund of Tatkal ticket prices if the train is to run on diverted route and boarding station or the destination or both the stations are not on the diverted route.

4. In case of non-attachment of coach in which Tatkal accommodation has been earmarked and the passenger has not been provided an accommodation in the same class, Indian Railways offers full refund.

5. If the passenger has been accommodated in lower class and does not want to travel, he/she can claim for refund. In case the passenger travels in lower class, he/she will be given refund of difference of fare and also the difference of Tatkal charges, if any, noted the Indian Railways.
 

Other rules of Tatkal ticket booking

At the time of Tatkal ticket booking, there is no need to furnish identity proof. Only one passenger needs to produce any of the proof of identity in the original during the journey, as mentioned by the Indian Railways. No concession is allowed on Tatkal booking. This restriction applies to senior citizen's concession also. Modification of ticket in any form is not permitted on Tatkal tickets.