Frequently Asked Questions

Up to 60 days before the date of journey, not counting the journey date itself. This Advance Reservation Period (ARP) has applied since 1 November 2024, when Indian Railways cut it from 120 days. Tatkal tickets open one day before the journey.

Count 60 days back from your journey date; booking opens on that day at 8:00 AM IST. For a journey on 15 January, booking opens on 16 November. For Tatkal, booking opens one day before the journey.

The journey date is the date the train departs from its originating station — if you board mid-route, your boarding date can be a day or more later. The booking date is when reservations for that journey open: 60 days before the journey date for general tickets and one day before for Tatkal.

Only at the busiest moments. Since 1 October 2025, during the first 15 minutes after general booking opens (8:00 to 8:15 AM IST), only Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC users can book reserved tickets online; after that, any registered user can. Online Tatkal booking has required an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account since July 2025. PRS counter booking timings are unchanged.

This calculator follows the standard IRCTC 60-day advance booking rule. However, some special trains might have different booking rules, so always verify with official IRCTC website for specific train policies.

Booking for a new journey date opens at 8:00 AM IST, 60 days before the journey, on IRCTC and at PRS counters. For the first 15 minutes (8:00 to 8:15 AM), online booking is limited to Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC users.

Tatkal opens one day before the journey date: 10:00 AM IST for AC classes and 11:00 AM IST for Sleeper and Second Sitting. Tickets stay on sale until the Tatkal quota runs out, which on popular trains takes minutes. Online Tatkal requires an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account.

Almost. Once a journey date has opened, IRCTC accepts bookings round the clock except during its nightly maintenance window from 11:45 PM to 12:20 AM IST. Tatkal has its own opening times, listed above.

More than 48 hours before departure you pay a flat fee by class: ₹240 + GST for 1AC, ₹200 + GST for 2AC, ₹180 + GST for 3AC/CC, ₹120 for Sleeper and ₹60 for 2S. Between 48 and 12 hours: 25% of the fare. Between 12 and 4 hours: 50% of the fare. Less than 4 hours: no refund on a confirmed ticket.

A confirmed Tatkal ticket can be cancelled but earns no refund. Waitlisted and RAC Tatkal tickets are refunded after deducting the clerkage charge. If the Railways cancel the train, you get a full refund.

RAC and waitlisted tickets can be cancelled up to 30 minutes before scheduled departure and are refunded after a clerkage deduction of ₹60 per passenger. A waitlisted e-ticket that is still fully waitlisted when the chart is prepared is cancelled automatically, and the fare is refunded less the clerkage charge.

Yes, GST is applicable on cancellation charges for AC classes as per government regulations. The GST component is calculated separately and added to the base cancellation charges.

TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) is required for claiming refund in cases like train cancellation, reschedule, or service issues. It must be filed within specific time limits - usually within 3 hours of departure for passenger-related issues and up to 3 days for train-related issues.