IRCTC Tatkal Train Tickets: IRCTC’s Tatkal ticket booking service came under fire from netizens on Tuesday, with several users taking to social media to report repeated ‘Error’ messages on the app and website during peak booking hours. Many users said they were unable to secure Tatkal tickets despite multiple attempts, alleging that the system failed at critical stages of the booking process. The complaints emerged even as no major outage was officially reported by IRCTC.
IRCTC Down: Downdetector Shows 68% Outage
The online platform Downdetector recorded a spike in complaints, with 68% of users reporting issues with the IRCTC website. The outage reports mainly came from major metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Meanwhile, 31% of users said they faced problems with the mobile app.
IRCTC: OTP For Tatkal Train Tickets
Indian Railways is set to make one-time passwords (OTPs) mandatory for booking Tatkal train tickets from railway reservation counters, a move that officials said aims to curb the misuse of the last-minute ticket booking facility. Passengers will have to provide a one-time password, received on their mobile phones, to book Tatkal train tickets from railway reservation counters.
IRCTC Train Ticket Tatkal Charges
Tatkal tickets are meant for urgent travel needs, which is why they come at higher fares, similar to paying for priority access. Premium Tatkal, introduced later, is even more expensive as it follows a dynamic pricing model, much like airline tickets. Under the Tatkal scheme, charges vary by class, with fares ranging from Rs 400–500 for 2A, Rs 300–400 for 3A, Rs 300–500 for CC/EC, Rs 100–200 for Sleeper class, and Rs 10–20 for 2S.
IRCTC Down: Netizens Reacted
Hii @IRCTCofficial
Money ₹508.15 has been deducted and transaction is shown as SETTLED, but the ticket is Not Booked and no Pnr is generated. This is a clear failure and negligence of the IRCTC system during Tatkal booking. Such irresponsible service pic.twitter.com/LyjFCvHD2X— Ajaykumar Mitra (@Ajaykumarmitra8) December 23, 2025
The kind of fraud, corruption in @IRCTCofficial train booking going on is unimaginable. Booked tatkal ticket, paid via R-wallet and took less than a minute. Status is payment received, ticket not booked. This is utterly ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/Af6Dxwgzmb
— Ankit Agrawal (@_ankitagrawal_) December 23, 2025
@info_NRC your customer care line is switched off on a Tuesday morning. Is this country a joke to you or we the citizens look like clowns??
Your website is down, people can’t book. Not even a word. If no one can’t book what then is going on at the train stations from LAG-IBADAN.— OBIOZO (@KingJaynuel) December 23, 2025
Logged in at 9.57am , photo taken at 10.07 am- super slow servers.@RailMinIndia @IRCTCofficial @AshwiniVaishnaw
After a min, it logged me out. Next level scam @IRCTCofficial @khurpenchh pic.twitter.com/ebBvSlRJgt
— PRATEEK SRIVASTAVA (@prateek276) December 23, 2025
How To Book IRCTC Tatkal Train Tickets Online
Step 1: Open the IRCTC website or app at least 10–15 minutes before Tatkal booking starts.
Step 2: Keep your source, destination, travel date, class, and quota ready for quick entry.
Step 3: Always choose an alternative train in case your preferred option isn’t available.
Step 4: Use IRCTC’s Master List to autofill traveler information quickly.
Step 5: Select fast payment options like UPI, IRCTC eWallet, or net banking and confirm without delay.
