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Planning a last-minute trip? Or there is an urgent event to attend in another city but you have not booked any train ticket in advance? Worry not, as IRCTC allows travellers to book train seats a day before travel through its Tatkal scheme. Under this scheme, you can book tickets for immediate travel plans.
Indian Railways offers Tatkal booking of train tickets for almost all of its trains across all reserved classes. So be it sleeper, 3AC, 2AC or 1AC you can get a ticket last minute. However, there is a possibility you may not get seats as there are only limited seats under Tatkal bookings. So it's the first book first served.
advertisementLet's take a detailed look at the timing, price and how to book IRCTC Tatkal tickets online.
IRCTC opens the booking window for Tatkal tickets one day before the start date of the journey of the train from its origin station. So if you are travelling from Kanpur to Delhi from Rajdhani Patna, then the start date of the journey will be counted from the day Rajdhani started from Patna.
Additionally, if you want to book AC class tickets (2A/3A/CC/EC/3E), then the booking window will open at 10:00 AM. Meanwhile, Tatkal tickets for non-AC class (SL/FC/2S) can be booked from 11:00 AM onwards.
Since IRCTC has to reserve seats for Tatkal scheme, it charges an extra fee for the bookings. So if the normal tickets cost Rs 900 you will have to pay around Rs1300 for a Tatkal ticket. IRCTC imposes 30% of the basic fare for all travel classes, except for second class (sitting), and has a fixed rate of 10%.
- Visit the IRCTC website- irctc.co.in
- Now log in with your IRCTC user ID and password. If you do not have an IRCTC account, you can create one by clicking on the "Sign Up" button and following the instructions.
- After login click on the "Book Ticket".
- Select the "Tatkal" booking type and fill in all the details including source station, destination station, and travel date.
- Select your preferred train and class for your journey.
- Next, enter the passenger details.
- You can also select the berth preference. However, it is not certain if you will get your berth seat. As lower births are generally given to the elderly.
- Now review the fare and other details, and then click on the "Proceed to Payment".
- You can make the payment using a credit card, debit card, net banking, UPI, or other available options.
- Confirm the booking.
- Download the e-ticket.
To book Tatkal ticket from IRCTC app-
- Install the IRCTC app on your smartphone.
- Open the app and Log into your IRCTC account.
- Now select the "Tatkal Booking" option.
- Select the train and date.
- Fill in the passenger details.
- Select your preferred seat class and berth type.
- Review the fare
- Make payment for the ticket using a credit card, debit card, or net banking.
- Check the payment status and download the tickets once its gets confirmed.
You can also book Tatkal tickets through third-party apps like Paytm. Here is a step-by-step guide to booking through the digital payments app.
- Open the Paytm website or app on your device.
- Click on the "Trains" option from the menu or homepage.
- Now tap on the "Tatkal" option.
- Fill in the details like departure and arrival stations, journey date, class of travel, etc.
- Choose the train you wish to travel in and click on the "Book Now" option.
- Enter the passenger details.
- Review the ticket details and select the payment option from the available options.
- Make the payment and complete the transaction.
- You will also receive a confirmation SMS and email regarding your ticket booking.
