The New Tatkal Booking System.

                                To ensure the reserved accommodation in trains to the passengers, who need to travel by trains within a very short notice due to emergency, Shri Dinesh Trivedi, Hon’ble Minister for Railways has recently implemented a new Tatkal booking scheme on and from 21 November 2011. This Tatkal booking facility has been introduced to eliminate the possibility of booking of tickets by touts/miscreants through Tatkal scheme and sell to the passengers in emergency, against high premium. Booking procedure through new Tatkal scheme is given below:-

                                    The Advance Reservation Period (ARP) of Tatkal scheme is reduced from two days to one day excluding the day of journey from the train originating station w.e.f Monday, 21 November 2011. For example, if a train is to depart from the originating station on the second of the month, the Tatkal quota for that particular train shall open at 08.00 hrs. on the first of the month.

i)     Agents/Rail Travel Service Agencies (RTSAs) will not be allowed booking Tatkal tickets at the counters between 08.00 hrs. and 10.00 hrs.

ii)     System will allow to book only maximum 4 passengers in a Tatkal booking.

iii)     Tatkal tickets shall be issued only on production of one of the eight prescribed proofs of identity as per procedure explained below:-

a)    For this purpose, a self-attested photocopy of the proof of identity of any one passenger should be attached to the requisition slip.

b)     The details of the identity proof will be captured by the system and indicated on the reserved tickets as well on the reservation chart. It will not be mandatory for the passenger(s) to go to the counter to book the Tatkal ticket, however, the proof will have to be sent in the aforementioned manner.

c)     During the journey, the passenger, whose identity card number has been indicated on the ticket, will have to produce original proof of identity indicated on the ticket, failing which all the passengers booked on the ticket shall be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. Indication will come on the ticket regarding carrying the same original proof of identity during the journey, as indicated on the ticket.

d)     If the passenger whose identity card number is indicated on the ticket is not travelling, all other passengers booked on that ticket, if found travelling in train, will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.

e)    For booking done on more than one passenger, system will allow to input identification numbers passenger-wise in case if identification proofs are submitted by the concerned passengers. Input identification card information will be printed passenger-wise on the tickets as well as on the reservation chart. In such cases, in case of non-travelling of one of the passengers whose proof of identity has been indicated, other passenger(s) can undertake the journey on production of original proof of identity by the other passenger(s) whose proof of identity has been indicated on the ticket as well as on the reservation chart

f)    No refund will be granted on cancellation of Tatkal confirmed tickets subject to the exception such as cancellation of trains/late running of trains for more than 3 hours, etc.

g)    Cameras will be installed at the ticket counters to maintain stricter vigilance.