Tatkal Ticket Booking: The festive season is approaching, and the rush for railway tickets has already started. With Diwali and Chhath Puja still weeks away, passengers planning to return to their hometowns have begun making travel arrangements. However, getting a confirmed train ticket is becoming increasingly difficult.
While booking regular tickets during the festive rush is already challenging, passengers are now facing additional problems while trying to book Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website and app. In several cases, seats appear to be available, but passengers are unable to complete the booking because of technical issues.
Festival Rush Makes Train Tickets Difficult to Get
Demand for trains increases sharply around Diwali and Chhath, particularly on routes connecting major cities with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
A large number of people working in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and other parts of the country travel to their hometowns during the festive period. As a result, confirmed tickets on popular routes are sold out very quickly.
Passengers who fail to get regular confirmed tickets generally depend on Tatkal, Premium Tatkal or special trains. But technical problems during online booking are making the situation even more stressful.
Problems Start as Soon as Booking Opens
Advance reservations for the festive period have already begun. Passengers can book tickets according to the applicable advance reservation period.
For example, passengers looking to travel around Diwali may start trying to reserve their seats as soon as the booking window opens. However, many passengers report that tickets disappear within minutes of the reservation opening.
Some users have also faced situations where seats were visible on the platform, but the booking could not be completed because of website or app-related errors.
Reports indicate that heavy traffic on the IRCTC website, beta platform and RailOne app has caused difficulties for some passengers. Login problems, server issues and payment-related glitches can prevent users from completing their reservations even when seats initially appear available.
Tatkal Booking Rush at 10 AM and 11 AM
Tatkal reservations are opened at different times depending on the class.
- AC Tatkal booking: Starts at 10 AM
- Non-AC/Sleeper Tatkal booking: Starts at 11 AM
- Tatkal tickets are generally available one day before the scheduled journey.
For passengers looking for Sleeper Class Tatkal tickets, 11 AM is therefore an important time. But because thousands of passengers attempt to book simultaneously, available seats can disappear extremely quickly.
If a passenger experiences a login failure, server slowdown, payment problem or booking error during these crucial minutes, the available seats may already be sold out by the time the issue is resolved.
Why Is Tatkal Booking Becoming So Difficult?
Railway authorities have previously pointed out that the huge number of users trying to access the booking system at the same time can put considerable pressure on the online reservation infrastructure.
The festive season creates an especially high demand because a large number of migrant workers, employees and other passengers travel from major cities back to their hometowns.
With regular tickets selling out rapidly, more people turn to Tatkal reservations. This creates another surge in demand precisely when the Tatkal window opens.
Aadhaar Authentication Is Mandatory for Tatkal Booking
There has also been an important change in Tatkal ticket booking rules.
From July 1, 2025, passengers booking Tatkal and Premium Tatkal tickets through IRCTC need to use an Aadhaar-authenticated user account.
This means passengers must complete Aadhaar authentication for their IRCTC profile. The authentication process involves OTP-based verification.
Passengers planning to depend on Tatkal tickets should therefore ensure that their IRCTC account has completed the required Aadhaar authentication before the booking window opens.
Agents Cannot Book Tatkal Tickets During the First 30 Minutes
The Railways has also introduced restrictions on authorized agents during the initial Tatkal booking period.
Agents are not permitted to book:
- AC Tatkal tickets: Between 10 AM and 10:30 AM
- Non-AC Tatkal tickets: Between 11 AM and 11:30 AM
The objective of this restriction is to give individual passengers a better opportunity to book tickets during the first 30 minutes.
Despite these measures, the enormous festive-season demand, combined with occasional technical difficulties, means many passengers may still struggle to secure confirmed tickets.
What Should Passengers Do?
Passengers planning to travel during Diwali or Chhath should avoid waiting until the last moment. It is advisable to keep the IRCTC account ready, complete the required Aadhaar authentication in advance and ensure that the necessary passenger and payment details are readily available.
With demand expected to remain high on routes towards Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other northern and eastern states, booking at the earliest possible opportunity can be important for passengers hoping to get a confirmed seat.