AC Tatkal
10:00 IST
Opens in
--hrs--min--sec
For trains leaving their first station tomorrow
- 3A
- 2A
- 3E
- CC
- EC
Agents from 10:30. No Tatkal in First AC (1A).
Tatkal countdown timer
Two live countdowns, AC Tatkal at 10:00 and non-AC Tatkal at 11:00, on a clock checked against our server. Switch to agent times if an agent books for you.
Sleeper Tatkal
11:00 IST
Opens in
--hrs--min--sec
For trains leaving their first station tomorrow
- SL
- 2S
Agents from 11:30. Second sitting (2S) opens at the same time.
IST now --:--:--
Checking your phone clock against our server…
Checklist for the window
Is the Tatkal window opening time different at the station counter?
No. Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST for AC classes and 11:00 IST for non-AC classes on the IRCTC website, in the app and at railway station counters alike. Only authorised agents start later, at 10:30 and 11:30, and each way of booking has its own check.
| Who books | AC Tatkal | Non-AC Tatkal | General quota | Check at booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You, on the IRCTC website or app | 10:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 | Aadhaar-verified IRCTC account, and an Aadhaar OTP for Tatkal |
| You, at a station PRS counter | 10:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 | OTP for Tatkal sent to the mobile number on your reservation form |
| An authorised agent | 10:30 | 11:30 | 08:10 | OTP for Tatkal sent to your mobile number |
The Tatkal rows are from Railway Board Commercial Circular 8 of 2025, which made Aadhaar and the OTP checks compulsory from July 2025 and kept agents out of the first 30 minutes (PIB, 11 June 2025). The general quota column is from the Ministry's release of 15 September 2025: counter timings unchanged, agents kept out of the first 10 minutes, and online bookers needing Aadhaar in the first 15 minutes from 1 October 2025.
The day is the same everywhere too: Tatkal opens one day before the train leaves its first station, not one day before you board. The IRCTC Tatkal booking time page works it out for any journey date.
Booking Tatkal at the station counter
At a PRS counter you fill a reservation form, wait in the queue and pay the clerk once the window opens at 10:00 or 11:00. Since 15 July 2025 the booking goes through only after you give the OTP sent to the mobile number you wrote on the form.
Keep that phone with you in the queue. Counter hours vary by station, so check that your station's PRS counter is open at the Tatkal time; the counter cannot book before the window opens, however early the queue forms.
Reported, not confirmed: from 1 August 2026 some reservation counters hand out numbered tokens for Tatkal before the window opens: AC tokens from 8:30 to 9:00 and non-AC tokens from 9:30 to 10:00, with booking still at 10:00 and 11:00 (Business Today, 31 July 2026). Other reports say it started at selected counters of West Central Railway and give a different non-AC time. We found no official notice, so ask at your station.
Practise the booking before the morning
Tatkal berths on busy routes go in minutes, and most of the delay is typing. Start the practice run, fill one passenger and the code as you would on IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the Indian Railways booking website and app), and press Pay with UPI. The timer shows how long you took. Nothing is booked and nothing you type leaves your phone.
Why the clock on your phone is not enough
A phone sets its clock from the mobile network, and that clock can be a few seconds out. At a Tatkal window, a few seconds is the gap between the first page of results and the second.
This timer asks our server for the time three times, keeps the fastest answer and corrects for the delay, then tells you how far your phone was off. It cannot speed up IRCTC's servers or your connection; what it removes is the guesswork about when to press.
How the alarms work
Tap Turn on alarm sound once; browsers only allow sound after a tap. For both windows you then hear two beeps at 5 minutes, three at 1 minute, a tick for each of the last 10 seconds and a long tone when the window opens, with a vibration on phones that support it.
While the sound is on, the page asks the phone to keep the screen awake. The alarms work only while this page is open. For a nudge the evening before, set a booking reminder by email or phone notification.
Questions people ask
Is Tatkal time different at the railway station counter?
No. Tatkal opens at 10:00 for AC and 11:00 for non-AC at station counters too, the same as on the IRCTC website and app. What differs is the check: a counter sends an OTP to the mobile number on your form, while online booking needs an Aadhaar-verified account.
What time can agents book Tatkal tickets?
From 10:30 for AC classes and 11:30 for non-AC classes. Authorised ticketing agents cannot book opening-day Tatkal tickets in the first 30 minutes, under Railway Board Commercial Circular 8 of 2025.
Is this timer the IRCTC server time?
No. It is Indian Standard Time from our server, which keeps network time, corrected for your connection delay. IRCTC opens Tatkal by IST, so a correct IST clock tells you the moment the window opens.
Will the alarm ring if my phone screen is off?
Only while this page stays open. When you turn the sound on, the timer asks your phone to keep the screen awake where the browser allows it. For a reminder the evening before, set a booking reminder instead.
What time should I log in for Tatkal?
By 09:55 for AC classes and 10:55 for sleeper and second sitting, with the train searched and the class selected. The Book Now button turns active at 10:00 or 11:00 IST.