Now you will not have to wait for a confirmed seat! Railways changed the rules of Tatkal booking, know the new time and method:

New Delhi. If the journey is scheduled suddenly and the seats in the train are full, then ‘Tatkal’ seems to be the only solution. But there is often a complaint that as soon as the booking starts, the seats disappear within a few seconds. To end this headache of passengers, Indian Railways has made revolutionary changes in the rules of Tatkal Booking in the year 2026. The direct objective of these new reforms is to break the nexus of brokers and to provide confirmed berths to the common man.

Aadhaar link and OTP verification became mandatory

Railways has strictly implemented the ‘One User-One Aadhaar’ policy in 2026 to prevent fraud through fake IDs and automation software. Now to book Tatkal ticket on IRCTC portal, register your account. Link to Aadhaar It is necessary to have. Now the process of OTP verification on mobile has been added at the time of booking, thereby curbing unauthorized log-in and robotic booking.

’30 minute’ ban imposed on agents

The biggest relief news for the common passengers is that now the early window opening will be done immediately. up to 30 minutes Authorized agents will not be able to book tickets. That is, when the booking will start at 10 am and 11 am, only individual users will be able to make their tickets for half an hour. This is giving an opportunity to the general public to compete equally for seats, which was not possible earlier due to the high-speed system of agents.

Booking time and mathematics of categories

Even in 2026, the Tatkal booking timings are divided on the basis of categories. If you want to travel in AC coach (2AC, 3AC, CC), then booking should be done in the morning. at 10:00 Begins. At the same time, counters for sleeper class (Sleeper) and second sitting (2S) will open in the morning. at 11:00 Opens. Keep in mind that the maximum on one PNR 4 passengers Booking can be done only. Tatkal charges are based on distance and class, which are slightly higher than the normal fare.

‘One Click’ booking will get the job done in seconds

In Tatkal tickets, competition is based on time. Keeping this in mind, Railways has posted on its app and website. ‘Master List’ And ‘One Click Payment’ The facility has been upgraded. Passengers can save name, age and identity card information of themselves and their family in advance in the ‘Profile’. By pre-setting the payment gateway, the transaction can be completed by simply entering the CVV or UPI PIN at the time of booking. This saves precious time in feeding data and increases the chances of getting a confirmed seat by 90%.

Is refund available on cancellation of Tatkal ticket?

As per Railway rules, on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal ticket no refunds Get it. However, if the train is late by more than 3 hours, the route is diverted or the train is cancelled, you can get a full refund by filing TDR. On waitlisted Tatkal tickets, the money is refunded after deduction as per rules.