If you are scheduling a trip of long distance and that at reasonable rates then travelling by train is an ideal thing to do. With Indian Railways being the largest in Asia, you can choose the train as per the route you decide to travel on. Earlier people had to stand in long queues and get the railway bookings done but now with the advent of the latest of getting the booking online, the travelers prospective of traveling by train has drastically changed.
IRCTC was quick enough to realize the plight of the passengers who had to travel owing to some emergency and introduced a new way of booking the tickets known as Tatkal Scheme.
IRCTC Tatkal Ticket Booking can be reserved two days prior to the date of departure which excludes the day you are traveling. The e-tickets can be reserved for particular trains prior to train chart preparation. The e-ticket bookings of Tatkal tickets will open at 8 AM in the morning, which is 2 days before your scheduled departure. Passengers are required to verify, the Tatkal quota accessibility before booking the tickets. It is advisable to book the tatkal tickets from the railway counters or the reliable travel agents as during the peak hours the railway website generally works very slowly.
There are no concessions at all for the Tatkal bookings. Though there is a good concession for the senior citizens in the normal ticketing system but for IRCTC Tatkal Ticket booking, even the senior citizens are not eligible. In case of Tatkal bookings, passengers cannot make any change in the name nor can the tatkal booking be refunded or cancelled.
IRCTC Tatkal Tickets Booking is available for all travel classes except for the AC 1 Class. As mentioned above the tatkal booking can be done two days prior to the date of the journey and there are extra charges to be paid which varies according to the class you are traveling and the distance you have to cover during your journey. Just the E-tickets are permitted to be reserved under Tatkal scheme as there is hardly anytime left for the deliverance of the Tatkal tickets at your doorstep.
Cancellation of Tatkal Tickets
Cancellation of the tatkal tickets is a tedious job but the travel agent or the concerned passenger can get the ticket cancelled before the preparation of the chart. The names of the passengers whose names are not on the chart will not be allowed to travel or board the train. Just in case these passengers travel they will be considered as passengers traveling without tickets.
Tatkal for Ladies and Senior Citizens
Tatkal system is equivalent for all the traveling passengers. There is no special quota for children, ladies and senior citizens. In the Tatkal scheme no concession or preference is offered to anyone. The delivery time for these tickets is perhaps the same like the normal tickets.
Tatkal tickets are more expensive than the normal tickets as some premium charges have to pay and they are given on first come basis and no disparity is shown here. IRCTC Tatkal Ticket Booking is ideal for the passengers who are traveling owing to some last minute emergency.