14 Nov, 2012 10:18 PM

Tips for online Tatkal booking

Use a non-BSNL/MTNL net connection. "In India, BSNL/MTNL is the preferred service provider, so traffic on the IRCTC site from BSNL servers is very heavy. Another good way out - take help froma friend living in a foreign land to login. Tell him to book the ticket for you. The friend will access IRCTC from a different server. For him, it'll be a breeze. Seamlessly, he can buy your ticket and clear out.

Enabling the lowspeed connection option in your browser(some browsers like Opera have it) even while using high-speed internet works wonders. This results in faster loading of a page.

If IRCTC thought stopping usage of one IP address to book multiple tickets can stop touting, here's how touts mock this safety feature. "Switch off your modem and turn it on again. You have a new IP address. This is because most service providers use dynamic IP addresses. It is also possible to login using multiple IDs from different browsers, yet again beating IRCTC's efforts to offer restricted access to travel agencies.

Synchronize your computer clock with the IRCTC site time and start booking exactly after 8am. Those who try in the first few seconds after 8am have a better chance of booking, he says.

Keep ready the following details : The three digit From and To station codes. Do not wait for the list of the station to appear. Just type the three digit code and proceed to the next field. Also keep ready the ID card number

Most important is to zero in on the train where getting confirmations is easiest. A maximum of four passengers can travel on a Tatkal ticket. Keep their details ready and using form fillers like Forefox's auto-fill feature to fill them in quickly will really help.

Dont waste time on the "Quick book" option that the IRCTC site offers. "Under ordinary circumstances, if you fill the form quickly and press quick book, it should reach a banking site without asking for any further verification and confirmation. Very few know IRCTC has blocked this during tatkal booking.