The change in the Tatkal Booking system: Be more alert
The mass transportation plays a vital role in the development of any country. The same applies to India as well. There are different modes of mass transportation available, but the most preferred mode is the Railway only. Therefore, those who love to go for a long route journey prefer to travel by railway only. However, there are a few norms for the ticket booking which one must follow and as the changes to the system can affect one’s plan one needs to be a little alert.
However, in the case of a well-planned journey it is possible for one to book the ticket in advance, but what about those who need to travel on an emergency basis? Well, there is an arrangement of the Department of Railway, which is known as a Tatkal Booking system. Here one may ask what is the time for tatkal booking? But in response to it, one must know the latest changes brought into effect by the department.
Nowadays the tatkal booking is possible only before the twenty-four hours of the journey which was previously forty-eight hours. The booking starts at sharp 10 AM and hence for one who wants to book a ticket, must keep the browser open so that as soon as the booking starts, he can try and get it immediately before the server gets busy and some of the tickets are sold. For a passenger who needs to go for an emergency, this is the best option to go for a long route train.
The Tatkal charges and tickets according to Indian Railways have been changed after year 2014. It has been fixed as a proportion of train fares at the rate of ten percent of the basic second class train fares and 30 percent of the basic fares for all the other classes. There is a calculation of this thing.
The Tatkal Scheme varies with each class. Here is a basic idea given below.
For Second sittings, the charges are Rs. 10 extra for children and Rs. 15 for Adults. For Sleepers, it is Rs. 90 and Rs. 175 respectively. In case of AC Chair Cars, it is Rs.250 and Rs. 350. AC 2 tiers have a cost of Rs. 300 and Rs. 400 respectively and for Executive Classes; they are Rs. 300 and Rs. 400 again.
The other rules that needs to be followed
- Tatkal tickets are issued only for the actual distance that are needed to be covered and are subject to the distance limit applicable on the train in which the ticket is issued. One berth can be booked by many passengers on a tatkal basis at multiple legs. When the final preparation chart is made, the unutilized berths of a train are released to the Waiting List and General RAC candidates.
- The Tatkal bookings open at 10 AM in the morning for the AC Classes and at 11AM for the Non AC classes on one day advance from the exact date of journey of a given train. For example, if a train is leaving on 6th of November, the counter for Tatkal opening will be opened at 10 AM and 11 AM respectively on 5th of November.
- No Tatkal duplicate tickets are issued in any chance. This is because; these tickets are bought only in exceptional cases and with full payment of ticket fare and the extra Tatkal charges on it.
- Tatkal ticket booking does not need any kind of identity proof when the booking is done. But yes, during the time of journey, the passenger needs to show an original identity proof to the TT’s or officials. It can either be a Voter identity card or a Pan card or a Driving License or a Passport or an Aadhar Card.
- Even for internet ticket bookings for Tatkal purposes, the passenger should enter the identity proof type and number, which they will be using for travel. These details shall be printed on the ERS/indicated on the VRM/MRM as well as in the reservation chart.
- For every PNR number, there can be a maximum of four passengers and not more than that.
The refund procedure
No refund is given when you cancel the confirmed Tatkal tickets. But if the train gets late by more than 3 hours at the origin point of the journey & not the point where the passenger has to board the train if both the points originating boarding are different, then the passenger gets full refund.
These are the basics which should be known for the right guidance in the case of booking a tatkal ticket.
Tatkal Charges before journey starting date 24.12.2015
| 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 |
Tatkal Charges applicable for journey starting from 24.12.2015 onwards
| 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 |