Emergency quota for train ticket bookings: Know what are its new rules and how to reserve seats?
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Emergency quota new rule
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Indian Railways has a provision called emergency quota (EQ) to cater to urgent travel needs of certain categories of passengers. In a move to improve operational efficiency and reduce last-minute disruptions, the Ministry of Railways has issued a fresh circular updating the guidelines for submitting emergency quota (EQ) requests, according to an ET Online report.According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday, passengers requesting emergency quota (EQ) seats must now submit their applications a day prior to their travel date. This revised rule is applicable to all train services across the country, reports ET online.According to a PIB release on April 10, 2018, 'In order to meet the urgent travel requirements of High Official Requisition (HOR) holders who are on the waiting list, a limited number of berths have been earmarked as Emergency Quota in different trains and in different classes.'At the time of allotment of berths or seats, emergency quota is first allotted for self travel of high ranking official holders or Members of Parliament, etc., strictly as per their inter-se seniority in warrant of precedence.If requests from other departments are also considered, the remaining quota will be allocated based on various factors such as the purpose of travel, like government duty, family bereavement, medical emergencies, job interviews, and the status of the passenger."Emergency quota request for all the trains leaving between 0000 hours and 1400 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1200 hours on the previous day of journey," the circular said."Emergency quota request for all the remaining trains leaving between 14.01 hours and 23.59 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1600 hours on the previous day of journey," it added.Note that requests received on the same day as the train's departure will not be accepted.According to the circular, requests for trains departing on Sundays or public holidays must be submitted the day before the scheduled departure.'The requests for the release of accommodation in trains, for which the emergency quota is to be released on Sundays or clubbed holidays after Sundays, should be given during office hours on the previous working day,' the circular stated.The railway board has proposed preparing the reservation chart eight hours before the departure. For trains departing before 1400 hours, the chart will be prepared the previous day at 2100 hrs itself.From July 1, 2025, authorised agents will be restricted from booking tickets during specific time slots to prioritise bookings for individual passengers.Starting July 15, 2025, all Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised railway agents will require an extra layer of verification through OTP (One-Time Password) authentication.Tatkal tickets purchased via IRCTC's official website and mobile app will only be accessible to individuals who have successfully authenticated Aadhaar from July 1, 2025.
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