IRCTC Train Ticket Booking FAQs

The IRCTC Rail Connect app and the mobile-friendly website let you book and cancel tickets, check PNR status, view your booked ticket history and download e-tickets from anywhere, without visiting a counter or a computer. You can also order food to your seat and see your past transactions in one place.

Open https://www.irctc.co.in or the app and log in. Enter From and To stations, journey date, class and quota, then search. Pick a train, check availability, click Book Now, add passenger details, choose a payment method and pay. The e-ticket and PNR arrive by SMS and email.

Tatkal opens one day before the journey date, counted from the train's originating station. AC classes (1A, 2A, 3A, CC, EC) open at 10:00 AM and non-AC classes (Sleeper, 2S) open at 11:00 AM. Online Tatkal needs an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account.

On the login page click Forgot Password, enter your User ID and the captcha, then verify with the OTP sent to your registered mobile number (or follow the email option if shown) and set a new password. To change a password you remember, log in and use the change password option in My Account. Screens can vary, so follow the options the site shows.

Log in, open My Account, then My Transactions, then Booked Ticket History. Find the booking and choose the print or download e-ticket option. You can also use the ticket sent to your email.

No. A PNR lets you check the status of a booking, but to download or print the e-ticket you must log in to the IRCTC account used for booking and open Booked Ticket History.

Yes. The IRCTC website works in a mobile browser, so you do not need the app, though the Rail Connect app is usually faster. Log in and book the same way as on a computer.

You cannot force a confirmation. A waitlisted ticket gets confirmed only if other passengers cancel, so check the live status with your PNR number. If it stays waitlisted after the final chart, an online ticket is cancelled automatically and refunded.

After a successful booking, use the Book Return/Onward Ticket option to search the reverse journey without entering the stations again. If you use Book Another Ticket instead, you have to enter the source and destination stations again.

You cannot leave the account without a mobile number, but you can change it from your profile after verifying the new number with an OTP. If the option is not available for you, contact IRCTC support.

Yes. RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) passengers are allowed to travel and are given a seat, usually a side lower berth shared with another RAC passenger. If a berth frees up, you may be moved to a full berth.

No. A confirmed Tatkal ticket is not refunded when you cancel it. You get a refund if the train is cancelled or if your waitlisted Tatkal ticket is not confirmed by chart preparation.

TDR stands for Ticket Deposit Receipt. You file it online to claim a refund when a ticket cannot be cancelled normally, for example when the train is more than 3 hours late and you do not travel, the AC fails, or you were not allotted the booked class. Deadlines differ by reason and can be as short as a few hours, so file as early as possible. Open My Account, My Transactions, File TDR, select the PNR and give the reason.

It is the redesigned, mobile-friendly IRCTC ticketing site at https://www.irctc.co.in. You can search trains and seat availability without logging in, but you need an account to book. A beta version of an even newer site was launched in July 2026.

E-ticket booking and cancellation are generally available from about 12:20 AM to 11:45 PM IST, with a short nightly maintenance break between roughly 11:45 PM and 12:20 AM. Timings can change, so check the notice on the IRCTC website.

The usual causes are heavy traffic (especially at 10 AM and 11 AM Tatkal time and 8 AM when advance booking opens), scheduled maintenance, a slow network, or a login or captcha problem. Wait a few minutes, refresh, clear the browser cache or try the app, and do not make repeated payments if money was deducted.

If the payment was deducted but no ticket was generated, the amount is normally refunded automatically to the source account within a few working days. Check Booked Ticket History first, and if there is no ticket or refund, contact IRCTC support with your transaction ID.