Indian Railways offer a ticket booking facility known as Tatkal Scheme for benefit of passengers who want to travel on an urgent basis, according to Indian Railways. IRCTC Tatkal booking is available on payment of premium charges on a first-come-first-served basis, according to IRCTC's official website - irctc.co.in. Tatkal tickets are issued for actual distance of travel, instead of end-to-end, subject to the distance restriction applicable to the train. The same Tatkal berth/seat may be booked in multiple legs till preparation of charts. At the time of preparation of charts, unutilized portion may be released to the general RAC/waiting list passengers, according to Indian Railways' website, www.indianrail.gov.in.
Here are charges, rules and timings for booking Tatkal train tickets through the IRCTC portal and the Railway Reservation Centre:
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.
Here are the minimum and maximum Tatkal charges applicable to IRCTC and Railway Reservation Centre bookings:
| Class of Travel | Minimum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.) | Maximum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second (sitting) | 10.00 | 15.00 | ||
| Sleeper | 90.00 | 175.00 | ||
| AC Chair Car | 100.00 | 200.00 | ||
| AC 3 Tier | 250.00 | 350.00 | ||
| AC 2 Tier | 300.00 | 400.00 | ||
| Executive | 300.00 | 400.00 | ||
| (Source: indianrail.gov.in) | ||||
| Class of Travel | Minimum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.) | Maximum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.) | Minimum Distance for charge (in Km) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve Second sitting (2S) | 10.00 | 15.00 | 100 | |
| Sleeper | 100.00 | 200.00 | 500 | |
| AC Chair Car | 125.00 | 225.00 | 250 | |
| AC 3 Tier | 300.00 | 400.00 | 500 | |
| AC 2 Tier | 400.00 | 500.00 | 500 | |
| Executive | 400.00 | 500.00 | 250 | |
| (Source: indianrail.gov.in) | ||||
Tatkal booking opens at 10 am every day for air-conditioned (AC) classes and 11 am for non-AC classes one day in advance of the actual date of journey.
Ticket agents or web agents of IRCTC are restricted from booking Tatkal tickets between 10: am and 12:00 pm.
While booking Tatkal ticket an individual needs to enter details of valid identity proof which is to be carried while travelling.
Under Tatkal tickets, only four passengers can be booked on one PNR (passenger name record) number.
Confirmed tickets booked under the Tatkal service cannot be cancelled, according to Indian Railways.
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