Mamata may cut Tatkal rates, booking time

Officials in the railway ministry are discussing a proposal by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to cut the premium on Tatkal (instant) tickets and reduce its booking period to give the Railway Budget an aam aadmi touch.

According to sources in the railway ministry, the new minister has reportedly received several appeals about the Tatkal scheme and has asked her officers to examine these aspects.

Tatkal berths come at a premium of Rs 75 to Rs 300, depending on the nature of the train and demand, and the booking windows are open five days before departure.

By reducing the booking timeframe further, the argument runs that people will have a bigger opportunity to access more non-premium tickets and rid the railways of the stigma that Tatkal was legalised touting.

A section of the ministry, however, thinks the Tatkal premium is valid because the railways has not increased basic passenger fares despite a steep increase in operating costs.

Some officials point out that a longer booking window for Tatkal actually makes it more convenient for the passenger to buy tickets and reduces the proclivity to access the black market.

During the last three years of his tenure, former railway minister Lalu Prasad had more than doubled the number of Tatkal seats. These additional Tatkal seats were taken out of the berths available under normal reservations, making it harder for passengers to buy cheaper tickets in advance.

In 2005-06, the daily average number of berths in the Tatkal quota was 43,000. The following year, Prasad increased it to 57,000 and in 2007-08 he raised it to 98,000.

Revenue for the Railways from Tatkal almost doubled from Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) in 2006-07 to Rs 396 crore (Rs 3.96 billion) in 2007-08 and around Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) in 2008-09.

Currently, passengers can also book wait-listed tickets under the Tatkal quota. When the final reservation chart is prepared, the railways distribute the vacant berths between the general quota and the Tatkal in 1:1 ratio.

Since the general waitlist is much bigger than the Tatkal waitlist, the chances of a Tatkal waitlisted passenger getting a confirmed ticket are higher. While this planning also encourages passengers to buy Tatkal tickets, Banerjee has not yet decided to change this ratio.