Tatkal Tickets: Have you ever tried booking a Tatkal train ticket? If so, you’re likely familiar with this frustrating experience: the booking opens, and within seconds, all tickets are gone. But why does this happen? Is it just the sheer volume of passengers, or is there another mystery at play? Recent information from within the Railways sheds some light on this perplexing issue.
An Unbelievable Game of Demand and Supply
On an average day, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and app handle bookings for about 1.2 million tickets. During festive seasons, this number skyrockets.
The statistics are staggering. Here’s a snapshot of the Tatkal booking situation on a recent Friday:
- 10:00 AM (AC Tatkal): For a high-demand train like the Purushottam Express, a single First AC seat was booked in just 28 seconds. The 20 Second AC and 64 Third AC seats were gone in 1 minute 58 seconds and 3 minutes 30 seconds, respectively.
- 11:00 AM (Non-AC Tatkal): As soon as the booking for Sleeper Class began, 28,000 tickets were sold in the first minute alone. Within the first five minutes, that number climbed to 100,000!
These figures make it clear: millions of people are simultaneously vying for a very limited number of tickets.
The Real Reason: Internal Conflicts & The Tout Menace
Beyond the immense demand lies a more significant issue: an internal policy debate within the Railways and the persistent problem of touts.
While there’s a push to move more ticket inventory online, a section of railway officials argues that this primarily benefits touts who use illegal software. This software can book tickets much faster than a regular user, leaving genuine passengers at a disadvantage.
To combat this, IRCTC has set up a special squad to identify and block suspicious accounts, but the problem has not been completely eliminated.
New Measures and Essential Tips for Passengers
To address this issue and protect the interests of genuine passengers, the Indian Railways has taken a significant step.
The New Rule: As an experimental measure, the sale of Tatkal tickets from physical PRS counters will be halted for the first few minutes after the online booking window opens. It is hoped that this will give individual online users a slightly better chance and level the playing field against touts.
Tips for You:
- Use the Master List: Go to the “My Profile” section on the IRCTC website or app and prepare a “Master List” in advance. This saves passenger details like name, age, and gender, saving you precious time during the booking process.
- Log in at the Right Time: Be logged in and ready a few minutes before the Tatkal window opens (around 9:57 AM for AC and 10:57 AM for Non-AC).
- Ensure Faster Payments: Use UPI or digital wallets for the quickest payment transaction. Entering card details manually can cost you valuable seconds.
The enormous demand and limited supply of Tatkal tickets make it a complex problem. However, with the new measures from the Railways and a little preparation on your part, you might just have a better chance in this challenging race.
