Tatkal ticket booking rules change from August 1: What passengers should know before reserving seat

Passengers booking Tatkal train tickets at railway reservation counters will no longer need to wait in lengthy queues as West Central Railway (WCR) is set to introduce a token-based system from August 1. The move aims to streamline the booking process, manage crowds better and improve transparency at counters.

How the new Tatkal token system will work

Under the new arrangement, passengers will first collect a token within a specified time window instead of standing in queues ahead of Tatkal booking hours. After receiving the token, they can return to the reservation counter during their allotted slot to complete the ticket booking process.

Railway officials said the system is expected to make counter-based Tatkal bookings more organised and reduce congestion at reservation centres.


Passengers will need to carry a valid government-issued photo identity card and keep details of all travellers ready while booking Tatkal tickets. Accepted identity documents include Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, Passport, Driving Licence, PAN Card and other government-approved photo IDs.

Tatkal token timings for AC, non-AC bookings

The token distribution schedule will follow the existing Tatkal booking timings.

For AC Tatkal bookings, tokens will be issued from 8:30 am to 9:00 am, while non-AC Tatkal tokens will be distributed between 9:00 am and 9:30 am.

Passengers receiving tokens will be able to complete their bookings during their assigned time slots without having to wait in multiple queues.

Initial token limit at reservation counters

In the first phase, each reservation counter will issue 10 tokens for AC Tatkal bookings and 15 tokens for non-AC Tatkal bookings.

The railway zone said the number of tokens may be increased depending on the response and requirements. Category B tokens will be issued for other general passengers or commercial requests and will be processed after Category A tokens.

If seats remain available after all token holders have completed their bookings, counters will allow walk-in passengers on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tokens will be non-transferable and will remain linked to the passenger who collected them.