Indian Railways increases festive Tatkal quotas and launches special trains for 2026

Indian Railways is taking major steps to manage the massive passenger rush during the upcoming 2026 festive season covering Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja. Passengers can expect better connectivity, higher seat availability, and strict action against illegal booking agents as authorities ramp up preparations across multiple zones. Northern Railway has submitted a proposal to the Railway Board to nearly double the Tatkal quota from 6,500 to over 12,000 temporary seats for the Diwali period on high-demand routes like Lucknow-Delhi, Lucknow-Mumbai, and Lucknow-Howrah before returning to standard levels. To handle heavy crowds, East Central Railway announced 16 festival special trains running from September 16 to November 30, while Eastern Railway scheduled 10 pairs of special trains to support travel to West Bengal. In total, Indian Railways has planned 432 special trips between September 4 and November 30 connecting regions such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur Cantt, and Rishikesh directly to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Specific notable services include a daily Anand Vihar-Patliputra train operating from October 1 to November 29 and a Howrah-Raxaul service running from October 15 to November 29. Furthermore, direct services are being established to connect Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Managing IRCTC Traffic and Booking Rules

High demand has placed significant technological pressure on the IRCTC platform. On September 13, users encountered high load and regret errors while booking tickets for November 12 travel, following a record-breaking day on September 7 when IRCTC successfully processed 2,006,353 tickets. The current Advance Reservation Period stands at 60 days. Standard Tatkal bookings open daily at 10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for non-AC classes one day prior to departure. Passengers should also note that certain special trains may offer 100 percent general quota at special fares without any Tatkal availability.

Crackdown on Unauthorized Ticketing

To ensure fair access and combat illegal ticket hoarding, the Railway Protection Force is actively deploying plainclothes officers at various reservation centers. Additionally, the RPF Crime Intelligence Branch is conducting raids to apprehend individuals using unauthorized software to manipulate the online booking system and deprive genuine travellers of confirmed berths.