During the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals, Indian Railways expects significant increases in passenger volumes. Especially in northern India, many people travel to their hometowns for celebrations. The annual festival rush creates significant demand for train tickets, making last-minute travel planning a challenge. Booking Tatkal tickets serves as a last option for those without pre-booking, however securing these tickets proves difficult due to seating restrictions and seasonal demand spikes.IRCTC Tatkal TipsPre-Preparation: Have passenger information and payment details ready before starting Tatkal booking.How to use IRCTC Masterlist: Create an Aadhaar authenticated masterlist that stores important details like name, age, seat preferences and meal choices for quick booking.Fast Payment Solutions: Use UPI payments or maintain IRCTC wallet balance for faster transactions.Alternative travel plans: Choose less popular trains or routes for better seat availability. Special festival trains often run on busy routes.Booking Support Tools: Use the IRCTC Tatkal Magic Autofill Chrome extension to quickly fill forms with pre-saved details.How to book Tatkal tickets in IRCTC?Step 1: Access the IRCTC website and log in using your credentials.Step 2: Enter travel details – departure location, arrival station, travel date and class.Step 3: Select Tatkal from the quota options to view the available trains.Step 4: Select the desired class from the train list. The quota options appear on the right.Step 5: Click “Book Now” for the selected combination.Step 6: Enter passenger information – name (maximum 16 characters), age, gender, berth choice, meal preference.Step 7: Complete the verification code and provide mobile phone number for notifications.Step 8: On the next screen, check the ticket information, cost and berth availability.Step 9: After verification, proceed to payment.Step 10: Select your preferred payment gateway.Step 11: Complete the payment process for ticket confirmation and VRM receipt via mobile phone.Note: Users can also use the official Rail Connect app for bookings.
