Understanding Train Ticket Booking in India- For Foreigners
Indian Railways introduced the Tatkal (Hindi for “instant”) system to allow passengers to travel on trains that are often fully booked weeks before departure. A number of tickets on important trains are held back and issued at 10:00 one day before departure (initially 72 hours, decreased to 2 days in August 2009, and only one day in 2011), then sold with an extra Tatkal tax of Rs75-Rs300. If tourist quota places are available, the Tatkal system may be useless for you; nevertheless, if a tourist quota place is unavailable, a Tatkal place may be useful. You can make a tatkal reservations via online train ticket booking.