Not just at 8 AM—Tatkal tickets aren't booking at 11 AM either; how will people get home for Diwali and Chhath?
Travelers are facing immense difficulties regarding train ticket bookings ahead of Diwali and Chhath. Issues with booking on IRCTC and the inability to secure Tatkal tickets have heightened anxiety for those planning to travel home for the festivals.
People usually start searching for and booking train tickets months in advance for Diwali and Chhath. However, this time, the booking woes show no signs of abating. While securing regular tickets was already a challenge, booking Tatkal tickets has now become equally difficult. Travelers report that they are unable to complete bookings on the IRCTC website or app when the booking window opens.
Demand for tickets on trains bound for UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal surges during the Diwali and Chhath season. Consequently, travelers who fail to secure confirmed tickets pin their final hopes on the Tatkal quota. But if the website or app fails to function even during the Tatkal booking window, how are travelers supposed to reach home?
The struggle begins at 8 AM
Normal advance booking for Diwali trains has commenced; tickets can now be booked up to two months in advance. For instance, if one needs a ticket for November 8 (Diwali), booking counters opened today, September 8. People sat down to book tickets at 8 AM, only to find them sold out the moment the counters opened. Moreover, even when tickets were visible, they could not be booked due to technical errors.
According to media reports, travelers faced difficulties on the morning of September 8—around 8 AM—due to heavy traffic on the IRCTC website, its beta version, and the RailOne app. Users complained that the platforms were malfunctioning and tickets were rapidly moving into the 'waitlist' category. Travelers are now encountering similar issues while trying to book Tatkal tickets at 11 AM.
What is the reason? The Railways has consistently maintained that during the festive season—when hundreds of thousands of people attempt to book tickets simultaneously—the load on the website increases significantly. It is noted that during Diwali and Chhath, a vast number of people working in various cities across the country return home. There is immense demand for trains traveling from regions like Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Haryana to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during this period.
Consequently, seats for regular tickets fill up quickly, forcing passengers to rely on Tatkal, Premium Tatkal, or special train services. However, this year, complaints regarding technical glitches during the booking process have further compounded passengers' concerns.
At what time does non-AC Tatkal booking open?
Tatkal ticket bookings do not commence simultaneously for all classes. Booking for AC classes begins at 10:00 AM, while booking for non-AC classes (such as Sleeper) starts at 11:00 AM; these tickets are booked one day prior to the date of travel. However, currently, even Tatkal tickets are proving difficult to book.
Passengers seeking Tatkal tickets in the Sleeper class must wait for bookings to open at 11:00 AM. Yet, if issues such as login failures, server problems, payment errors, or other technical glitches arise at this time, seats are often exhausted within minutes.
Rules for Tatkal ticket booking
From July 1, 2025, it is mandatory to be an Aadhaar-authenticated user to book Tatkal and Premium Tatkal tickets on IRCTC. This requires verifying the IRCTC profile with Aadhaar and completing authentication via an OTP (One-Time Password).
Additionally, the Railways restricts authorized agents from booking tickets during the initial 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window. Agents are barred from booking AC Tatkal tickets between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM and non-AC Tatkal tickets between 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM. This measure is intended to give ordinary passengers a fair chance during the initial booking window; nevertheless, many people still end up empty-handed and unable to secure tickets to travel home.
