Indian Railways through its subsidiary, IRCTC offers you the facility of Tatkal ticket booking, which can be done one day prior to the date of the journey. Booking IRCTC Tatkal online is possible anywhere and at anytime during the 24 hours of the departure of the train provided you are not a travel agent. In order to ensure that these tickets are available to those who deserve them and do not go into the hands of people who buy them and sell them illegally, the railway has implemented a number of rules and regulations.
The counters for Tatkal booking are open at 10 in the morning, and from 10 am to 12 noon no agents, including the authorized agents of IRCTC, can book Tatkal tickets. The agents can book tickets only after noon and that too one Tatkal ticket per day per train. This is to ensure that people get their Tatkal tickets without any problem. You can book this ticket for four passengers in one PNR number, provided all the four passengers get on the train from the same station and also get off at the same station.
Passengers who book Tatkal tickets online can book only two tickets till noon. Furthermore, booking of these tickets require a valid photo ID proof, which you have to submit during the travel. In case of failure to submit the ID proof, you will be treated as a passenger traveling without a ticket.
For IRCTC Tatkal booking, you have to pay extra charges, which is usually 10% to 30% of the basic fare.
