Updated : 29-June-2014 Indian Railway Tatkal Scheme booking still not working

What to say about Indian Railway tatkal booking, it is still not worth it. I am a professional writer. I have to book tatkal ticket from Chennai Central to Howrah for my parents who had gone to CMCH Vellore for treatment of my mom's nerve problem in her arm and leg. I was talking to my father and he said to me that doctor had written many types of test and after looking report of test, she has given some medicines for two months and they have to return back to Jharia, Dhanbad. That is why I am on irctc.co.in. I had checked one day earlier seat status, it was showing 259 seats available in sleeper and 48 seats available in 3rd AC from Chennai (MAS) to Howrah(HWH), but when I sat for booking tatkal ticket of 20th October 2012, My weird experience of the Indian Railway Tatkal Scheme. I cried while booking ticket.

Weird Experience on irctc.co.in

When I opened Google and type IRCTC and pressed entered, I found website from where I had to register tickets. When I clicked on irctc.co.in around 10:00 AM, it’s says SSL error i.e. server error, I keep trying to book tickets, but unfortunately time was passing fastly, it was 10:30 AM but the website did not opened, so that I could register tickets. Then I planned to check status of seats availability on indianrail.gov.in, it says seats not available and the seat status in tatkal is in waiting list. Now friends, say where I was wrong, I have my broadband, there is no problem with my internet, but website does not open generally at the time of 10.00 to 11.00 AM. This is my weird experience with irctc.co.in. I will give zero (0) rating to this service of website irctc.co.in.

Friends, this is not a fault of website, but it is a fault of our system. The government has passed many rules and policies on tatkal bookings like following

Booking open at 10 AM
Any ID proof is urgent while booking
There is not agent could book tatkal scheme
There are some special trains on puja vacations etc

There are many such rules have been passed, but still our system is not working well, you know why? When we are not working well, then how we can expect from the system. In our country, still agents are collecting high amount to book tickets on tatkal scheme and our railway staff is also supports and help these thief agents who are making our system fully corrupt. The government has put lot of restrictions on this, but still this is running everywhere.

My uncle say, there is a big queue of people in lodge where they stayed who want ticket but they are not getting it and they are forced to live in the lodge for some more time due to not getting tickets. Because you see, if you have urgent need of railway tickets, you will not get it urgently and happy news is that you can not do anything except waiting, because you can not purchase flight tickets. At last, I had to say my parents that you just go to Katpadi stations at night and stand in a long long queue to get tatkal tickets. Thing at railway stations, people do make a queue from night, as the booking will start from 10 AM in the morning. Look, there is a very long queue for that. Still they will not get tickets, because all tickets will be booked by agents first by giving some money (bribe). This makes our system weird. Finally my uncle could not get Tatkal ticket.

Again in Queue Next Day

Friends, My Uncle stood in a queue to take tatkal ticket in KATPADI, VELLORE station, they said, there are 55 people who is before him. Generally what happens in counters, there are some agents who do take tickets in advance and sell the needy people in very high amount and earn black money from it. Finally today on 20th October, My uncle stood in a queue since night and it is now 10:00 AM and railway Tatkal booking starts and all agents start taking tickets first, there were no security in the counters to see. Do not know why? The Government has taken action against agents, but still the corruption lies at railway booking counters, agents give some money to railway staff too, so that both could earn from it. Finally, it is 10:15 AM, my uncle on counter and railway staff say that there is no ticket, it is waiting now.

Now Friends, say what should they do, although they got offers from agents to purchase tatkal ticket by giving extra money. Now you tell me, what should be done. My parents have been waiting at lodge due to not getting reservation, till when they can wait. At last They have to give extra money to agents to get reservation like that If you are thirsty and there is no drinking water anywhere except some dirty water blowing on the land, what you should do, you have to drink it finally.

This is the funda of agents which makes the Indian Railway Tatkal Scheme system dirty like that. The Government has made system, but they could not able to manage it to stop corruption everywhere.

You would tell me that, the Government staff is keep going to the concern department and keep checking, but when they about to come in the railway ticket reservation centres to check the faulty system, all staff already know it that manager is about to come to audit and they become alert earlier. The Government senior team should check the quality suddenly so that they can find the fault and remove it.

Again in QUEUE today at KATPADI STATION

You see, today my uncle again stood in a queue since night long, but unfortunately, due to not getting tickets, some of the young boys get involved in quarreling from the railway staff, they were fedup with this system totally. I was having great depression due to this, because it is the third day we were trying for tickets from vellore to dhanbad. But we are getting it.

Complaint in IRCTC

Finally I have complaint to IRCTC, i was calling at toll free numbers but lines were busy, no body is taking call then I mailed them and gets quick reply from them: here is a brief about that mail regarding complaint:

Mail from my side:

Dear sir,

AGAR AAP LOG TATKAL SCHEME RESERVATION SYSTEM ONLINE KO IMPROVE NAHI KAR SAKTE TOH IS WEBSITE KO KRIPYA KARKE BAND KAR DIJIYE. IRCTC WEBSITE DAILY 10-11 am OPEN HI NAHI HOTI HAI, TOH KAISE HUM TICKET BOOK KAREE...AAJ MERA TISRA DIN HAI, HAMRE URGENT MAIN JANA HAI AUR HAME TICKET AAJ TIN DIN SE NAHI MIL PA RAHA HAI..

IRCTC.CO.IN KA BAHUT HI BURA HAL HAI. AAP BHI JANTE HAI YEH KYO HO RAHA HAI...JUST BECAUSE OF AGENTS AND ALL THAT. AAGAR SITE OPEN BHI HOTI HAI KISI TARAH 11.00 BAJE TOH WO SARE TICKETS BOOK HO CHUKE HOTE HAI.

Reply on the same.

Thanks & Regards

R K Gupta

Reply from IRCTC

I can share full contents exactly due to some privacy reasons but they say that

"This is programmed activity and no manual intervention is possible for blocking Tatkal booking. There are large no. of passengers who book Tatkal tickets through thousands of face to face counters, and Internet. Tatkal seats are reserved with in few minutes.
During the period from 10.00 AM to 11.00 AM there is heavy rush on the website due to opening of Tatkal Booking . To overcome these constraints, steps like database upgradation , addition of more servers and increased Internet Bandwidth have been taken." 

For Complaint on IRCTC

If you also want to lodge a complaint in IRCTC about any issue, here is the following contact numbers and emails:

Phone number(Paid) : 139

Toll Free : 1800-111-139

Complaint by SMS :  9971111139

Email: care@irctc.co.in

"JAGO YATRI JAGO" BY Google Doc

Our government should take strong and strict action on it, so that our system would work smoothly.

Railway Budget 2012-2013 News Updates

Thanks to Bansal sir for giving such a wonderful Railway Budget, in this budget he has given a new technology of booking railway tickets online. In the new technology, we can book 7200 tickets in a minute and 1.2 lacs people can login at one time(Old techniques: only 2000 tickets in a minute and 40K login at one time).

In this new techniques, now people will not have to face railway reservation issues with IRCTC website. They can book tickets very fastly.

This is the actual reasons why we did not book tatkal ticket. The actual reason was low bandwidth of their server. Now our railway minister promised that they will improve the website.

Updated on Holi 2013

Read full report here first at aaj tak Holi with Ticket Agents

See again problem still lies, there is no any single Government employee who will be honest, now what to do, agents are benefiting from this system. Ultimately peoples have to face problem.

Updated on 29th June 2014

This can be pleasant news for us that IRCTC has taken action on above mentioned problem, they have launched their fastest website for railway reservation, now new website has 7200/minute capacity and one lakh 20 thousands people could be able to use this website simultaneously. Read this news.

One More Update, I was reading an article on How to Book Confirmed Tatkal Train Tickets [IRCTC]. This Article is very useful for you. Have a look.