Booking to Tatkal Tickets & Measures to Avoid Misuse of Tatkal Scheme

On Indian Railways, reserved accommodation including Tatkal accommodation can be booked through computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) on first come first served basis. During peak rush periods/days when demand outstrips the availability, reserved accommodation especially in higher classes and on popular routes gets exhausted within short duration of opening of reservation. However, during lean periods, on non-popular and lower classes, the accommodation remains available for longer duration. The phenomenon is more relevant for Tatkal where limited accommodation is earmarked. This happens as the available limited accommodation is accessed simultaneously through more than 10,300 counters at 3465 computerised Passenger Reservation Centers as well as through internet.

To avoid misuse of Tatkal Scheme, there are some inbuilt features in Tatkal scheme which includes provision of not granting refund on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of certain special circumstances indicated in the scheme, not allowing any modification of Tatkal ticket, etc. Some additional steps have also been taken to facilitate the passengers and to avoid the misuse, some of which are:-

• Staggering of the timings of reservation under Tatkal scheme.
• Captcha implementation in Registration, Login and Booking page to check fraudulent booking through automation software.
• Imposition of minimum time limit before proceeding for payment gateway as well as after making payment while booking tickets through internet.
• Making OTP(one time password) compulsory for all net Banking Payment options.
• Disabling authorised agents to book Tatkal tickets during first half an hour of opening of reservation.

To keep a check on the activities of touts, preventive as well as regular checks are conducted jointly/individually by Vigilance, Security and Commercial Departments, and the action against the culprits is taken as per provisions of Section 143 of Railways Act, 1989.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

Source: PIB

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27 MAR 2018

On Indian Railways, reserved accommodation including Tatkal accommodation can be booked through computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) on first come first served basis. During peak rush periods/days when demand outstrips  the availability, reserved accommodation especially in higher classes and on popular routes gets exhausted within short duration of opening of reservation.  However,   during lean periods, on non-popular and lower classes, the accommodation remains available for longer duration.  The phenomenon is more relevant for Tatkal where limited accommodation is earmarked. This happens as the available limited accommodation is accessed simultaneously through more than 10,300 counters at 3465 computerised Passenger Reservation Centers as well as through internet.

To avoid misuse of Tatkal Scheme, there are some inbuilt features in Tatkal scheme which includes provision of not granting refund on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of certain special circumstances indicated in the scheme, not allowing any modification of Tatkal ticket, etc. Some additional steps have also been taken to facilitate the passengers and to avoid the misuse, some of which are:-

• Staggering of the timings of reservation under Tatkal scheme.
• Captcha implementation in Registration, Login and Booking page to check fraudulent booking through automation software.
• Imposition of minimum time limit before proceeding for payment gateway as well as after making payment while booking tickets through internet.
• Making OTP(one time password) compulsory for all net Banking Payment options.
• Disabling authorised agents to book Tatkal tickets during first half an hour of opening of reservation.

To keep a check on the activities of touts, preventive as well as regular checks are conducted jointly/individually by Vigilance, Security and Commercial Departments, and the action against the culprits is taken as per provisions of Section 143 of Railways Act, 1989.

This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

PIB

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Following changes have been made in recent past, in Tatkal scheme & waiting list system in general reservation:-

(i) With effect from 15.06.2015, timings of booking of Tatkal accommodation in Air-conditioned and non-Air-conditioned classes were staggered to 1000 hours and 1100 hours respectively on the previous day of journey from train originating station.

(ii) With effect from 25.12.2015, minimum and maximum Tatkal charges were revised.

(iii) Instructions have been issued to Zonal Railways to fix Tatkal quota upto a maximum of 30% of capacity of coach depending on the utilization of this quota during the last six month period. Instructions have also been issued to review this quota preferably twice a year.

(iv) With effect from 07.10.2015, the ratio of updation of Tatkal waiting list against cancellation of confirmed general accommodation, which was earlier 1:1, has been revised to 1 (General) : 2 (Tatkal).

(v) For waiting list limit in general reservation, although no change has been made in current waiting list limit, instructions have been issued to zonal Railways to define adequate waiting list limit so that no inconvenience is caused to the passengers in obtaining waiting list tickets against Pooled quota and remote quota.

This Press Release is based on information given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communications and Minister of State for Railways in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 22.07.2016 (Friday).

PIB

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“Attempts are being made to simplify the extremely popular Tatkal reservation system.”

Tatkal booking is a blessing in disguise for train travelers who urgently need tickets, but the process of booking tickets on this system could be a constant source of irritation. Though plenty of reasons are attributed to it, the main grouse is the slow server connectivity and the IRCTC website’s inability to handle multiple user load.

Addressing this issue, Sandeep Dutta, the Chief Public Relation Officer of IRCTC, which is a sister concern of the Indian Railways, said, “All over the country, more than ten lakh tickets are reserved everyday, of which about 50% is booked through IRCTC.

“On the Tatkal system, between 10 AM and 12 PM, nearly 1.5 lakh tickets are booked everyday on the IRCTC website. In the beginning the website server was able to book only 7000 tickets per minute. Now, it has been raised to 14,000 e-tickets per minute.

“When users all over the country try to reserve tickets on Tatkal at the same time, the website crashes due to the overload. This has constantly been a huge challenge for IRCTC. Despite the fact that IRCTC has given a number of facilities, its reputation suffers due to this.

To tackle this problem, IRCTC decided to purchase five new world-class Singapore-based servers. These servers will be added to the main IRCTC server in another ten days. User capacity will increase from 14,000 to 24,000 per minute maximum. There will not be any website crash after that.

So, Tatkal reservation is going to become much more user-friendly.

Source: www.cgstaffnews.in

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Revision of Tatkal Timings – Passengers are happy with the steps taken by the Railways?

There is now a reduction in the jamming of the IRCTC website that occurred because AC and Second Class passengers were trying, at the same time, to book tatkal tickets online. It has therefore now become easier for passengers to book second class tickets on the internet.

Nearly 15000 tickets are being booked through IRCTC website at tatkal hours. The huge traffic will be diverted into two segments such as AC and Non AC.

Timings for the Railway Tatkal ticket booking have been changed from 15th June 2015. Previously the booking under Tatkal Scheme opens at 10.00 hrs on the previous day of journey from train originating station for all classes. According to the new schedule, booking for the AC coaches will open at 10 AM and ticket bookings for the other non AC classes are open at 11 AM.

And one more important decision taken by the Railway Board is completely debarred from booking tickets during the first thirty minutes of opening of booking for all authorized IRCTC Agents.

Generally the total number of seats of a train are divided into various quotas. Such as General Quota, Tatkal Quota, Ladies Quota and Pooled Quota. These quotas will differ for different trains.

30% of the total available Berths on a train are allocated for Tatkal Quota, and 10% are set aside for sitting tickets. Approximately 2 seats will be allocated in each coach for Ladies Quota. And nearly 8% of seats reserved for Pooled Quota. In AC Coaches, 16 tickets for each 3-tier AC coach and 10 tickets of 2-tier AC coaches are also being allocated for the online tatkal booking.

Accommodation reserved not only for Ladies, also Sr. Citizen and Pregnant Women. Accommodation of six berths in sleeper class of all the trains is earmarked for exclusive use of lady passengers. In addition to this a combined quota of 2 lower berths is earmarked in sleeper class, AC 3-Tier and AC 2-Tier classes for Sr. Citizens, Female passengers 45 years of age and above traveling alone and pregnant women in all trains. Pregnant women will be required to submit a certificate of pregnancy certified by one registered Medical Practitioner at the time of booking against the quota.

So totally 40% tickets are being set aside for quota reservations. With more than 80% of the population preferring to travel in second class, it becomes a moral duty of the Government to give due importance to it.

Click to read more at cgstaffnews.in

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Ministry of Railways

12-June, 2015

Timings for Booking Staggered for AC and non AC Classes

At present, the booking under Tatkal scheme opens at 10.00 hrs on the previous day of journey from train originating station. It has been decided that w.e.f. 15.06.2015, timings for booking of Tatkal tickets will be staggered for AC & non-AC classes to 1000 hours onwards and 1100 hours onwards respectively. Hence, now the reservation under Tatkal scheme will open at 1000 hours on the previous day of journey from train originating station for AC classes whereas that for non-AC classes will start at 1100 hours on the previous day of journey from train originating station.

Moreover, all types of ticketing agents (YTSK, RTSAs, IRCTC agents, etc.) will now be debarred from booking tickets during the first thirty minutes of opening of booking i.e. from 0800 to 0830 hours for general bookings, and from 1000 to 1030 hours & 1100 to 1130 hours for Tatkal booking in AC & non-AC classes respectively.

PIB

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“Changes will be brought in to the popular train ticket reservation system, which will put to shame the detractors who are insisting that it be privatized like BSNL”

It is not a simple task to travel 500 KM in just Rs.150.00! Autorickshaws charge Rs.25 per kilometer, and the fare is double during night times. The state governments can arbitrarily raise the bus fares as and when they feel. They give hundreds of reasons to justify these hikes. But, the concern they show for railway fares is surprising and baffling, to say the least.

The general public doesn’t mind paying more if they have to travel on short notice. But, these detractors feel that there has to be a guideline of sorts on how much more can be charged from them. The fact that the Centre has taken cognizance of these opinions is obvious from the reforms that are being brought to these systems.

The Tatkal Reservation facility’s timings have been changed. The decision has also been made to refund 50% of the ticket costs on cancellation.

Tatkal is a blessing for those who have to go on sudden journeys. That’s why there is a heavy demand for these tickets. Meanwhile, the Indian Railways announced that it is planning to run special Tatkal trains to ease the demand. The charges could be Rs.175 to Rs.400 more than the fares of normal trains.

Click to continue reading…

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The Tatkal scheme was initially introduced in 1997 with a view to provide reservation to those passengers who have to undertake journey at short notice and to save such passengers from the clutches of unscrupulous elements/touts. At present, this scheme is available in almost all Mail/Express trains and in all reserved classes except First Class and First AC Class.

Ministry of Railways has now decided to introduce Tatkal scheme in reserved classes of passenger trains also. The Tatkal scheme in the passenger trains will be available in the reserved classes (2nd AC, 3rd AC, 3rd AC Economy, Chair Class, Sleeper Class and 2nd reserved sitting). For this purpose, Zonal Railways will identify the passenger trains and earmark Tatkal accommodation in that train/class in which average utilization during the previous financial year has been more than 60%. The extent of accommodation to be earmarked will be the same as applicable in case of normal Tatkal scheme. The minimum Tatkal charges prescribed for different classes will be applicable as flat Tatkal charges. All other conditions applicable to normal Tatkal scheme will be applicable in case of identified passenger trains.

The Zonal Railways will issue train specific notification and date of effect of this scheme at their own level.

Source: PIB

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IRCTC launches pilot project for railway ticketing through Mobile phones without internet facility

A pilot project of ticketing through non-internet based mobile phones has been launched by IRCTC on Ist July 2013. The salient features of the scheme are as follows:-

There is no need of internet at any stage, viz. booking, payment, cancellation etc.
The user gets ticket details Short Messaging Service (SMS) instantly.
SMS along with Photo Identity Card in original can be used to travel, no printout of the ticket is required.

The steps taken to popularize the booking of tickets through non-internet based mobile phones through SMS mode are as follows:

• Publication in leading newspapers.
• Distribution of brochures about SMS booking.
• Sending details of the scheme through e-mail to all registered users of IRCTC.
• Display of message on the website of IRCTC.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today

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ONE OF THE PASSENGERS BOOKED ON A NON-TATKAL TICKET NEEDS TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY IN ORIGINAL DURING THE JOURNEY

THE PASSENGERS UNDERTAKING JOURNEY ON TATKAL TICKET HAVE TO PRODUCE THE SAME ORIGINAL PRESCRIBED PROOF OF IDENTITY AS INDICATED ON THE TICKET

PASSENGERS TRAVELLING WITHOUT AN ORIGINAL IDENTIFY PROOF WOULD BE TREATED AS WITHOUT TICKET AND CHARGED ACCORDINGLY.

WHILE PURCHASING RESERVED TICKETS THROUGH PRS COUNTERS, SHOWING ORIGINAL OR ATTACHING PHOTOCOPY OF THE IDENTITY CARD IS NOT REQUIRED EXCEPT WHILE PURCHASING TATKAL TICKETS WHERE PHOTOCOPY NEEDS TO BE ATTACHED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE

THE MOVE AIMS TO FACILITATE THE TRAVEL OF BONAFIDE AND LEGITIMATE PASSENGERS AND TO REDUCE THE SCOPE FOR MISUSE OF RESERVED TICKETING SYSTEM BY UNSCRUPULOUS ELEMENTS/MIDDLEMAN

THE LIST OF PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO COVER MORE VARIETY OF PHOTO IDENTITY CARDS FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PASSENGERS

As a major initiative to further facilitate the travel of bonafide and legitimate passengers and to reduce the scope for misuse of reserved ticketing system by unscrupulous elements/middlemen, the Ministry of Railways has now made it compulsory to carry prescribed original proof of identity cards during train travel on all reserved classes of tickets. While this provision was made compulsory for Air Conditioned classes w.e.f. 15th February 2012, the provision for all remaining classes was made effective from 1st December 2012. In a nutshell, now all categories of passengers travelling in reserved classes will have to produce original proof of prescribed identity cards during the train journey. Those travelling without an original identify proof shall be treated as without ticket and charged accordingly.

In case of travel by a group on the same PNR, any one member in the group travelling on a single PNR needs to carry the prescribed identity proof in original which will be valid for all. In case of Tatkal tickets, the same original proof of identity as mentioned at the time of purchase of he Tatkal tickets (which is also indicated on the ticket) needs to be carried while travelling.

Moreover, in case of purchasing Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, it is necessary to attach only the self-attested photocopy of the prescribed identity card with the requisition slip, whereas while booking Tatkal ticket though internet, the number and type of proof of identity has to be indicated. However, at the time of purchasing non-Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, there is no need either to show original prescribed identity card or attach any self-attested photocopy of the identity card.

The Ministry of Railways has also expanded the list of prescribed proofs of identity to cover more variety of Photo Identity Cards for the convenience of the passengers. Keeping rural travelling public in mind, the identity cards like Voter Card, Ration Card, Below Poverty Line Card, Cards issued by Panchayat Administration Unique Identity Card, Aadhaar, ESI Cards, Senior Citizen Cards, Student Identity Card, Bank Passbook with photograph etc. have been included in the list. The complete expanded list of the prescribed proofs of identity for undertaking journeys on Tatkal ticket and other reserved classes will now be as follows:
1. Voter Photo identity card issued by Election Commission of India.

2. Passport.

3. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department.

4. Driving Licence issued by RTO.

5. Photo identity card having serial number issued by Central/State Government which include the following:
(i) Pension Pay Order s(PPO)
(ii) Ration Card with photographs
(iii) Senior Citizen cards
(iv) Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards
(v) ESI cards (with photograph) issued for taking treatment in ESI dispensaries.
(vi) CGHS Cards (with photograph) issued to individual family members of Central Govt. employees.

6. Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students.

7. Nationalized Bank Passbook with photographs.

8. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.

9. Unique Identification Card “Aadhaar”.

10. Photo identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertakings of State/Central Government, District Administrations, Municipal bodies and Panchayat Administrations.

This new change of policy of making identity card compulsory during reserved travel is aimed at facilitating the travel of bonafide and genuine passengers and simultaneously to check the scope for travel on transferred tickets. It is also considered that this policy provision shall also be useful from the security point of view.

Railways has given wide publicity to these instructions through Press Notes, Press Advertisements, Display Boards, Announcement though Public Addresses, etc. for the convenience of the traveling people.

It will be relevant to mention that only five per cent of the total passenger travelling daily on Indian Railway trains travel in reserved classes. All the Mail & Express trains have non-reserved ordinary Second Class coaches along with the reserved classes coaches for those who wish to travel in non-reserved classes wherein carrying of identity card is not compulsory.

PIB

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