Daijiworld Media Network - Kota

Kota, May 24: The Kota Division of West Central Railway has introduced a token system for Tatkal ticket booking at all stations under its jurisdiction to improve passenger convenience, transparency and queue management.

The division said passengers booking Tatkal tickets in the Air-Conditioned (AC) category will receive tokens between 9 am and 9.25 am, while those seeking Sleeper class tickets will get tokens from 9.30 am to 9.55 am.

Passengers have been advised to reach booking offices during the designated timings, cooperate with railway staff and make use of the transparent reservation process.

Under the new system, passengers will first obtain a token from the counter, following which tickets will be issued according to the token sequence.

The Indian Railways said the initiative is aimed at streamlining Tatkal reservations and reducing crowding at booking counters.

As per existing railway rules, Tatkal booking for AC classes opens at 10 am, while booking for non-AC classes begins at 11 am, one day before the date of journey.

Tatkal tickets can also be booked online through the IRCTC Rail Connect app and the IRCTC website by Aadhaar-authenticated users.

Railways also reiterated the latest reservation chart preparation timings. For trains departing between 5.01 am and 2 pm, the first reservation chart will generally be prepared by 8 pm on the previous day.

For trains departing between 2.01 pm and 11.59 pm, and those leaving between midnight and 5 am, the first reservation chart will be prepared at least 10 hours before departure.

The Kota Division, formed on April 1, 1952, is among the major divisions on the western route of Indian Railways, covering large parts of Rajasthan along with sections of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.