Do you need a confirmed train ticket during the festive season? Know what the new 60-day rule says..

During the festive season, millions of people in India go home or to their villages to celebrate festivals with their families. On the occasion of festivals like Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath, the number of people returning home increases significantly. In such a situation, booking train tickets becomes the biggest challenge.

The Ministry of Railways had reduced the booking period of train tickets from 120 days to 60 days from November 1, 2024. That is, now you can book tickets only 60 days before the date of travel. If you are traveling from a station where the train arrives the next day, then you can also book tickets 61 days in advance. At the same time, this period can be even less for some special intercity day trains.

What is the right time to book tickets?
Suppose you want to travel on 20 October 2025, then you have to book your ticket by 8 am on 21 August 2025. You can do this booking from the IRCTC website or the railway counter. But keep in mind that during festivals, the seats get filled within a few minutes of the booking opening. So, if you are not able to book a ticket on the first day, it becomes difficult to get a confirmed ticket later.

Advance ticket booking on IRCTC starts at 8 am. If you want to get a confirmed ticket, log in on the same day, at the same time when the booking window opens. This time is very precious during festivals because lakhs of people try to book tickets at the same time.

What to do if you don't get a confirmed ticket?
If you are not able to get a confirmed ticket on the day of booking, then you have two options. The first is RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation), in which you get a chance to travel, but have to share the seat. And the second is a Tatkal ticket, which is available a day before, but is expensive, and there is no guarantee of confirmation. So, it is better that you try to get the ticket at 8 am on the first date of booking.

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