Tatkal rush: 7 in 10 say tickets sell out in 1 min, 4 in 10 trust IRCTC

IRCTC faces criticism as 70 per cent fail to get Tatkal tickets; passengers increasingly rely on agents and call for reforms amid widespread booking issues

Booking a last-minute Tatkal train ticket continues to be a major challenge for travellers, as seven in 10 travellers face difficulties. People booking Tatkal train ticket reported being waitlisted within the first minute of the booking window opening, according to a new nationwide survey by LocalCircles. 

The survey, conducted between April and May 2025, polled over 55,000 train travellers from more than 396 districts. It found that despite efforts to streamline the system, the experience of securing a Tatkal ticket online remains frustrating for most travellers. “Within the first minute after booking opened, all tickets got booked and we got waitlisted,” said 73 per cent of respondents who had trouble booking online in the last 12 months. 

 

Introduced by Indian Railways to provide an option for travelers with urgent plans, Tatkal ticketing was intended to be a transparent, first-come-first-served process. However, the current system appears to be plagued by complaints of website crashes, buffering, and tickets disappearing before payment can be completed. “What is wrong with IRCTC Tatkal booking? Payment gets deducted but no seat. Website/app keeps crashing,” one user complained on social media.     

 

  The situation has eroded trust in the official booking process. Only four in 10 train travellers surveyed said they believe the best way to get a Tatkal ticket is through the regular online booking process. Meanwhile, over three in 10 respondents said they relied on travel agents to secure their seats, while smaller percentages cited using multiple devices, visiting railway stations, or even approaching MPs or railway staff to get a confirmed ticket. 

This growing distrust is not new. Back in 2015-16, an investigation by the Ministry of Railways exposed a network of agents working with some railway staff to bulk book Tatkal tickets using fake names, which were later changed to real ones. The loophole was subsequently plugged. However, the current survey results suggest that, despite reforms, travellers still struggle with systemic issues. 

A deeper look at success rates reinforces this challenge. Of the 18,851 respondents who attempted to book a Tatkal ticket in the past year, 29 per cent reported a success rate of only 0-25 per cent of the time, while another 29 per cent said they never succeeded. Only 10 per cent managed to get a ticket every time they tried. 

LocalCircles, which conducted the survey, plans to escalate these findings to the Ministry of Railways for urgent action. The platform emphasised the need for interventions to address system deficiencies and rebuild trust in online Tatkal booking.