What is the story about?
Passengers booking Tatkal train tickets at railway reservation counters will no longer have to spend hours waiting in queues, with West Central Railway (WCR) set to introduce a token-based booking system from August 1. The new process is intended to improve crowd management, reduce waiting time and bring greater transparency to counter bookings.
Under the revised arrangement, passengers will first collect a token during a designated time slot instead of standing in long queues before Tatkal bookings open.
After receiving the token, they can return to the reservation counter at the time allotted to complete their booking.
Railway officials said the initiative is expected to make the booking process more organised while reducing congestion at reservation counters.
The distribution of tokens will follow the existing Tatkal booking schedule.
Passengers who obtain a token can complete their booking during their allotted slot without waiting in multiple queues.
In the first phase, each reservation counter will issue the following:
According to West Central Railway, the number of tokens may be increased.
Under the revised arrangement, passengers will first collect a token during a designated time slot instead of standing in long queues before Tatkal bookings open.
After receiving the token, they can return to the reservation counter at the time allotted to complete their booking.
Railway officials said the initiative is expected to make the booking process more organised while reducing congestion at reservation counters.
Token timings for AC and non-AC bookings
The distribution of tokens will follow the existing Tatkal booking schedule.
- AC Tatkal tokens: 8:30 am to 9:00 am
- Non-AC Tatkal tokens: 9:00 am to 9:30 am
Passengers who obtain a token can complete their booking during their allotted slot without waiting in multiple queues.
Initial limit on token distribution
In the first phase, each reservation counter will issue the following:
- 10 tokens for AC Tatkal bookings
- 15 tokens for non-AC Tatkal bookings
According to West Central Railway, the number of tokens may be increased.
