How to make train reservations online in India

Indian Railways is the easiest and usually the cheapest way to cover long distances in India. Tourists no longer need to queue at a station reservation counter or pay an agent's markup — online booking through IRCTC (the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) handles almost every journey.

This page walks through what you need to know to book a ticket yourself.

Where to book

There are two official channels for online train reservations:

• IRCTC website — https://www.irctc.co.in
• IRCTC Rail Connect app — the official mobile app, available on Android and iOS.

Both require a free IRCTC account. A handful of third-party apps (Paytm, MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, ConfirmTkt) resell the same inventory through IRCTC's API; they can be convenient but add a small service fee.

Before you book

Create your IRCTC account on the website. You'll need:

• A valid email address.
• A mobile phone number. An Indian mobile number is the easy path. If you only have a foreign number, the workaround is documented on our How to buy train tickets without a local mobile phone page.
• Your passport / photo ID — not uploaded, but the number goes on the ticket for foreign tourists and must match the ID you carry on the train.

Account registration is free. Bookings are accepted daily between roughly 00:20 and 23:45 IST; the site takes a short maintenance window most nights.

The booking window

Advance reservations are governed by these windows:

• General quota: 60 days before the date of journey (reduced from 120 days in November 2024). The booking window opens at 08:00 IST each morning for trains departing 60 days later.
• Tatkal quota (last-minute, higher fare, one day in advance): opens at 10:00 IST for AC classes and 11:00 IST for non-AC classes the day before travel.
• Foreign Tourist Quota: foreign passport holders can book up to 365 days in advance on selected trains. FTQ seats are released first and can be booked online through IRCTC once your account's nationality is set to non-Indian, or in person at the International Tourist Bureaus in Mumbai CST, New Delhi, Chennai Central and a few other major stations.

Step by step on the IRCTC website

1. Go to https://www.irctc.co.in and log in.
2. On the home page, enter your From and To station, date of journey, and class (Sleeper, 3A, 2A, 1A, CC, EC etc.).
3. The search results list available trains for that date with live seat availability. Pick a train and click Book Now.
4. Enter each passenger's name, age, gender, berth preference (lower/middle/upper/side-lower/side-upper), and nationality. Foreign tourists add passport number and country.
5. Review the fare summary.
6. Enter your mobile number for the booking OTP.
7. Pay. IRCTC accepts UPI, Indian debit/credit cards, most international Visa/Mastercard credit cards, net banking, BHIM, and major wallets. UPI is the fastest.
8. Enter the OTP sent to your mobile and/or email. Your E-Ticket is generated immediately and emailed to you; you'll also see it under My Account → Booked Ticket History.

E-Ticket vs I-Ticket

For almost everyone, the E-Ticket is the right choice.

• E-Ticket: delivered by email and in your IRCTC account. No physical document is couriered. At the station and on the train, present a printout (or the ticket shown on your phone in the IRCTC app) along with a photo ID — passport for foreign tourists.
• I-Ticket: a physical ticket couriered to an Indian address. Only practical if you have an Indian address, and slower — most travellers should ignore this option.

Checking PNR status and seat confirmation

Every booking gets a 10-digit PNR (Passenger Name Record). If your booking is on the waiting list (WL) or Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC), check the PNR status close to departure — it updates as cancellations clear seats.

• PNR status on IRCTC: https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search → "PNR Enquiry" link
• Official PNR enquiry: https://www.indianrail.gov.in/enquiry/PNR/PnrEnquiry.html

A final chart is prepared a few hours before departure — once charted, WL tickets that don't confirm are refunded automatically (less a small cancellation fee).

Practical tips

• Book as early as you can. Popular routes — Delhi↔Agra, Mumbai↔Goa, Delhi↔Varanasi — sell out within minutes of the window opening. Have your journey details pre-filled in the search before 08:00 IST.
• For tourists, use the Foreign Tourist Quota. It's the only way to get confirmed seats at short notice on busy routes. FTQ seats are also available in AC 1 and AC 2 on premium trains like Rajdhanis and Shatabdis.
• Always carry the photo ID you booked with. Ticket checkers verify IDs, and a mismatch can result in the ticket being treated as invalid.
• Keep a screenshot of the E-Ticket offline. Mobile data is unreliable on long routes.
• Cancel through IRCTC, not the third-party app you may have booked through, if you want a clean refund.

Further reading

• Beginner's guide to train travel in India
• Luxury trains in India
• Train travel tips
• Retiring rooms at railway stations
• How to buy train tickets without a local mobile phone