'Tatkal' literally means 'immediately'. Tatkal Booking starts one day in advance (reduced from 2 days) excluding the day of journey e.g. for a journey on 3rd, bookings would open at 10 am on 2nd; however, the day of journey is defined as the day of chart preparation.
It can be booked on the opening day from 10:00 hrs for AC class (2A/3A/CC/EC/3E) and at 11:00 hrs for Non- AC class(SL/FC/2S) . e .g. if train is to depart from originating station on 2nd August, Tatkal Booking for AC class will Commence at 10:00 AM and for Non AC class will Commence at 11:00 AM on 1st August.
Tatkal bookings are allowed in all classes except First AC.
Yes you can cancel Tatkal tickets but No refund will be granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. For contingent cancellation and waitlisted Tatkal ticket cancellations, charges will be deducted as per existing Railway rules.
In case of single tatkal ticket maximum passengers allowed for booking is Four. A person is allowed to book only 2 tickets (either Sleeper or AC) from 8 am to 12 noon on a One IP address.
Individuals are allowed only Two tickets per user-ID in a day for Tatkal booking from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.
The following photo identity cards are considered valid.
According to return and refund policy of Indian Railways, a unconfirmed tatkal ticket will be cancelled automatically after the chart preparation - ie, 2 - 4 hours prior to the train departure. First, confirm whether your tatkal ticket was confirmed during chart preparation.
Tatkal Ticket Booking Timing:
AC Class - 10:00am
Sleeper Class - 11:00am