Indian Railways is the largest railway network in Asia and the fourth biggest in the entire world. With IT technology taking entry into the railway system, the reservation system has become convenient and easy for all the passengers. Adding to this convenience, Tatkal reservation was started a few years ago for those people who had to travel owing to some emergency and are not able to get the reservation through a normal system of reservation. ‘Tatkal’ means instant and this particular facility is accessible to the majority of the trains. In the previous times, the trains which enjoyed tatkal journey was permitted had a ‘T’ after the train number. But in the present days that system no longer exists.
If you are keen to make use of the tatkal reservation availability all you are required to apply for those 48 hours prior to the journey and these 2 days excludes the day of the journey. So, it is in effect 3 days preceding the booking date. Tatkal trains are certainly not exclusive for Tatkal travelers only. In fact this facility is on daily super fast trains. A few extra boogies are connected to the super fast trains for tatkal arrangements.
When your reservation under the tatkal scheme in Indian railways, you are supposed to give an extra amount which is not there when the ordinary ticket reservation is done. This extra charge will vary from Rs.50 to Rs.200 and sometimes even higher than Rs.200 actually depending on the distance of the trip and the class in which you intend traveling. For getting the Tatkal reservation you have to provide a photo attached Identity verification which could be your driving license, pan card, passport, etc.
This is for the information of the people who are availing the Tatkal reservation of the Indian railway that this kind of the reservation is offered for the whole journey of the rain. For example, assume that train starts from Delhi and its concluding stop is Amritsar, but if you want to board the train at Panipat and get off the train at Jullandhar, it is important that you get your seat reserved for the complete journey of the train and certainly not till the destination you want to get down. This is the reason you have to get the seat reserved from Delhi to Amritsar and not just from Panipat to Jullandhar. On the other hand, there are few exceptions to this particular rule.
Some kind of an identity is essential for a Tatkal passenger who has boarded the train because when the TTE is checking the tickets, he has the right to see your identification. The booking under the Tatkal scheme is obtainable for up to a group of 6 travelers under one receipt and for that just ID is adequate. There is no provision of cancellation of tatkal tickets and in case you are not travelling no money will be refunded. Despite this Tatkal scheme is a Godsend for those who have to travel because of some emergency.