Connecting train booking planner
Two trains with a change between them open for booking on different days. Enter both to see each opening day and your time at the change station.
- First train opens
- Second train opens
General quota opens at 08:00 IST.
When does booking open for a connecting train?
Each train opens for booking 60 days before the day it leaves its own first station, not counting that day, at 08:00 IST. Two trains that start their runs on different days open on different days, so the second train of a trip usually opens a day or more after the first.
Say you board the first train on 10 Jan 2027 and change to a second train that starts at the change station on 11 Jan 2027. The first train opens on 11 Nov 2026 and the second on 12 Nov 2026. If the second train had left its first station a day before reaching you, it would open on 11 Nov 2026, the same day as the first.
A train's schedule on IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the Indian Railways booking website and app) shows a day number at each stop: day 2 at your station means the train left its first station the day before. Pick that in the planner for each train. The IRCTC 60 days calculator does the same for a single train, and the IRCTC booking calendar lists every opening day of the month. IRCTC's terms note that a few intercity day trains have a booking period shorter than 60 days; the planner assumes 60.
How do you link two PNRs for a connecting journey?
Book the second train as a connecting journey on the ticket you already hold. IRCTC lists this facility in its terms, and Railway Board Commercial Circular 6 of 2019 lets e-tickets, counter tickets or one of each be linked. The two tickets keep their own fares.
The circular took effect on 1 April 2019 and allows linking "without giving any telescopic benefit", so the fare is not recalculated on the total distance. Neither the circular nor IRCTC's terms spell out every step or condition, such as whether both tickets must come from one IRCTC account; IRCTC says only that the limits set by Indian Railways apply. Look for the connecting journey option on the booking screen before you pay for the second ticket.
What if the first train is late and you miss the second?
If your tickets are linked PNRs and a late first train makes you miss the second, its fare is refunded with no cancellation or clerkage charge. Claim within three hours of the first train's actual arrival: a TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt, the online refund claim on IRCTC) for e-tickets, or at the junction station for counter tickets.
This is Rule 13(3) of the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015: the fare for the part you travelled is kept and the rest is refunded at the junction station. Commercial Circular 6 of 2019 applies it to two linked PNRs. For e-tickets, IRCTC's refund rules (clause 14) set the conditions: linked PNRs, and a TDR within three hours of the actual arrival of the train you travelled on.
On 24 March 2026 the Ministry of Railways said TDR filing for e-tickets has been removed and refunds are processed automatically on cancellation. The release does not mention missed connections, and IRCTC's refund rules still list this TDR, so use whatever the IRCTC screen offers within the three hours. The guide on how to file TDR on IRCTC has the other TDR reasons.
How much time should you leave between trains?
That is your call: IRCTC's terms say passengers must take into account the time between the first train's scheduled arrival and the second train's scheduled departure, and we found no official minimum. The planner shows that time and warns when the second train leaves first.
A short gap is a bet on the first train running to time. If it runs late and the PNRs are linked, the second fare comes back, but you still need another train from the change station. Watch for a second train dated the same day when the first one arrives after midnight: the planner flags it.
What if one train confirms and the other does not?
Keep the confirmed ticket and work on the other. Tatkal for each train opens the day before it leaves its first station, and Vikalp can move a waitlisted passenger to another train. If the other never confirms, the refund calculator shows what cancelling the confirmed one costs.
The IRCTC Tatkal booking time page has the opening times by class, the Vikalp scheme page explains how to opt in when you book, and the train ticket refund calculator works out the cancellation charge for each class and time band.
Questions people ask
Does the second train open on the same day as the first?
Only if both trains leave their first stations on the same date. A second train that starts at the change station a day later opens a day later, and one that began its run before your first train did opens earlier.
When does Tatkal open for a connecting train?
Separately for each train: one day before that train leaves its first station, at 10:00 IST for AC classes and 11:00 IST for non-AC classes such as sleeper. The two Tatkal days can differ, so the planner shows both.
Is the fare lower with linked PNRs?
No. Railway Board Commercial Circular 6 of 2019 allows linking without any telescopic benefit: the fare is not worked out on the total distance, so each ticket keeps its own fare. Linking matters when a late first train makes you miss the second.
Can I break my journey at the change station?
IRCTC does not offer reservation on tickets with a break of journey, so stopping over at the change station means two separate tickets, each opening on its own day. Enter the second train's real date in the planner to see when it opens.
Do I still file a TDR for a missed connection after March 2026?
IRCTC's refund rules still list a TDR within three hours of the first train's actual arrival for linked PNRs. On 24 March 2026 the Ministry of Railways said TDR filing for e-tickets has been removed, without mentioning missed connections, so use what the IRCTC screen offers.
Sources: IRCTC terms and conditions (connecting journeys, the opening day counted from the train's originating station, Tatkal); Railway Board Commercial Circular 6 of 2019 (linked PNRs and Rule 13(3)); IRCTC refund rules, clause 14; PIB releases of 17 October 2024 (60 days from 1 November 2024) and 24 March 2026 (TDR for e-tickets).