How to book the ticket?

IRCTC handles almost 1.3 lakh transactions that happen every day on the website. Since there are so many people on the website who wish to travel from one place to the other, then getting the tickets on the popular trains and the most frequently used routes is hard. Sometimes, there could a case where you have to reach someplace urgently and the journey is not planned beforehand. In this case, it is apparent that you will not have the reserved tickets for the travel from one place to the other. When this case appears, you need to use the booking service from IRCTC which is also called the Tatkal system of booking tickets. Under this service, you will be able to book the ticket to the destination of your choice exactly 24 hours before the time of the journey or the train starts. This can be used when your ticket is not confirmed and is waitlisted. Booking a ticket under the tatkal system is a tough job since a lot of people are trying for the same. You need to be quick and well-versed with the steps of booking a tatkal ticket so that you can catch the worm and continue with the journey.

How to book the ticket?

There are two different methods by which you can procure the tickets. The first method is going to the ticket counter at the railway station yourself and getting yourself a tatkal ticket. The window for the tatkal tickets opens at 10 am in the morning for all the AC coaches. These include 1st AC, 2nd AC, 3rd AC and other AC classes such as the chair car. You can go to the ticket counter for tatkal tickets and buy the ticket for the next day. Another option for buying a tatkal ticket is using the IRCTC official website to book it. The website will have an option for the tatkal booking, select the option and check for the trains.

You can also use the IRCTC coupons to avail discounts on the tickets. You can then select the train you want and check for the availability of the tatkal tickets. If you choose to go buy the Non-AC coach or if you cannot make it through the AC coach booking window, the other window for the non-AC tatkal tickets opens at 11 am. In this window, you can book the tickets for the non-AC coaches in the same manner.

There are different availability scenarios for each train and its route. The seats can be allocated based on the route or plainly the number of empty seats in the train. Once you have decided the train and the coach you want to travel in, search for the train in the list of trains. Check the boarding station and the destination and then, select the class you want to travel in. The class could also be selected based on the availability of the tickets. If you are not able to book in the 2nd AC you might want to try for the 3rd AC or 1st AC. This way, you will at least have a confirmed ticket. On the other hand, if you are booking the ticket in the non-AC coaches, you will have similar choices in them too. But, in the non-AC coach, there is only one option. You can check for the sleeper class. The sleeper class is a 3-tier coach without AC. There are a number of coaches of the sleeper class and thus, the chances of getting a confirmed ticket in the sleeper class are high if you act quickly during the tatkal window.

Once you see the number of available seats, you can click on the book now button which will help you to book the tickets. Once you have clicked on the book now button, the seats get reserved for you. But this does not mean they will be reserved even without paying. Once you have clicked on the book now button, you will be able to see the fare of the coach that you are wanting to book the ticket for. If you have a budget, select the coach accordingly or you can just see where the ticket is available and go ahead with the booking. Similarly, even for the non-AC coaches, you will have to follow the similar booking procedure. You will have to select the sleeper class and then click on the book now button. If the tickets are available, you are in the benefit but if the tickets are not available, you might have to book the tickets in the waiting list of the tickets. These tickets get confirmed only when the other person canceled. The waiting list moves up and you get closer to a confirmed ticket. However, getting a confirmed ticket after waiting list in the tatkal system is difficult.

Once you have clicked on the book now button on the screen, you will be redirected to the payment page. The payment page will be a crucial step in booking the confirmed ticket. There are several ticket payment options from which you can choose the most convenient one. You can pay for the ticket using your debit card, credit card or even via net banking. If you do not want to use the money in the bank, you can also use the money from the mobile wallets. You can use e-wallets such as Paytm and Freecharge to pay for the ticket. An important feature that IRCTC has come up with is the IRCTC wallet. This wallet can only be used to book the ticket on IRCTC app. This way, you do not have to enter the card information or the e-wallet information and straightaway pay for the ticket and get a berth on the train. The latest development on the website is the BHIM UPI which can also be used for the payment of the ticket. The BHIM UPI service is linked to your bank account and all you need to do is enter the UPI ID and verify on the bank app and the payment is done.