IRCTC Quotas: General, Tatkal, Lower Berth, Ladies & Other Quotas

Every day, 2,300,000 passengers make use of the Indian Railways, which indicates that it manages a staggering volume of seat and berth reservations every day. The railroads must cater to everyone's choices and priorities because it is one of the most convenient modes of public transportation. Because of this, the Indian Railways have allocated many train seats across different categories. This ensures that as many people as possible can reap the benefits of taking the train. In this article, we have explained all the 19 railway quotas available in Indian railways.

General Quota (GN)

General quota is the most common type of quota in IRCTC train ticket booking, and it has the highest number of seats allocated in a train. The booking window for general quota tickets opens 120 days in advance. And any ticket that is booked in this category has the highest chance of confirmation.

Premium Tatkal Quota (PT)

The Indian Railways reserves a few seats under the Premium Tatkal Quota with an increased fare for passengers who need to travel urgently. The booking process begins at the same time as the Tatkal quota: 10 a.m. for AC classes and 11 a.m. for non-AC classes. This was introduced by Railways with dynamic fare pricing in a limited number of trains on an experimental basis. The difference is brought about by the system of keeping a dynamic pricing system. The ticket price increases as demand increases. 

Ladies Quota (LD)

This quota is reserved for female passengers traveling alone or with a child younger than 12 years of age. In some trains, six berths are designated for female passengers in Second Seating (2S) and Sleeper Class (SC). There are no additional charges besides that. Under this quota, there is no prevalence of RAC or WL. Therefore, once six seats are booked, there are literally no more chances to accommodate more. 

Headquarters/High official Quota (HO)

Some of the available beds and seats are set aside for the use of railroad employees, notable citizens, government officials, and the like. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets that were originally purchased in the General Quota and are now on the Waiting List are eligible for the quota. 

Physically Handicapped Quota (HP)

Passengers with disabilities are given priority in the Divyangjan Quota. Each person has two berths to use during the trip. The passenger with a disability will sleep in the lower berth, while the escort will occupy the middle berth.

Parliament House Quota (PH)

Parliament House Quota is similar to the HO Quota in that it is reserved for members of parliament, state and central ministers, judges, etc. It's the reserved number of seats that top-level government employees can use for their most pressing travel needs. 

Defence Quota (DF)

This IRCTC quota is for defense officials, and they can use their ID cards to take advantage of it. The majority of DF quota tickets are used for relocations, visits home, and returns to active duty following leaves of absence.

Foreign Tourist Quota (FT)

A small number of seats is reserved for foreign tourists who hold valid visas and NRIs in almost all trains across different classes. The fares for these seats are 1.5 times more than the base fare of Railways.

Duty Pass Quota (DP)

The Duty Pass Quota is meant for the Railway staff to board the train for their duties. There are a limited number of berths reserved for serving/retired Railway employees in all classes that can be booked against this quota.

Female above 45 Years of Age/Senior Citizen Traveling Alone (SS)

Under the SS quota, females above 45 years of age and senior citizens who are traveling alone are assigned lower berths in a train. Only two tickets can be booked at a time with this quota.

Yuva Quota (YU)

Travelers between the ages of 18 and 45 who are certified as unemployed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) are eligible for the Yuva Quota. In order to receive this discount from IRCTC, you must present the NREGA certificate at the time of purchase. Yuva trains set aside 10% of their capacity for this demographic. 

Lower Berth Quota (LB)

Passengers aged 60 and up on the male side and 45 and up on the female side are given priority for the lower berths in trains. They can take advantage of the Lower Berth Quota whether they are a single traveler or a couple.

Road Side Quota (RS)

Passengers boarding at intermediate stations that aren't part of the networked computerized reservation system are eligible for the Road Side Quota.

General Quota Road Side (GNRS)

General Quota Road Side or Remote Location Quota is for those railway stations that are not connected with the Passenger Reservation System (PRS). These small stations maintain the reservation records manually.

Railway Employee Staff on Duty for the Train (RE)

The Railways provide their employees, who count toward the Railway Employee Staff on Duty for the Train quota, with special travel passes.

Out Station Quota (OS)

Remote areas may not have access to online booking, so the Out Station Quota is allocated on a case-by-case basis to passengers. To apply for this quota, you must do so at the nearest Railway head no later than 6 p.m. on the day before your planned departure. After that, the PRS is updated with their names by the computer, and the charts are made available to the railway head.

Pooled Quota (PQ)

Passengers going from the origin station to a station before the destination station, from the destination station to an intermediate station, or between two intermediate stations, share the Pooled Quota. However, there is only one total quota for the whole train trip. Following the exhaustion of this allocation, tickets will be distributed using the Pooled Quota Waiting List (PQWL). The chances of these tickets getting confirmed are very low.

Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC)

Two RAC ticket holders share a berth under this quota. The full berth is only given to the passenger with the other RAC ticket if the other passenger does not board the train.

For your convenience, we have put the full list of reservation quotas and their USPs below: 

Also Read: Travel Classes In Indian Railways: 3E, 3A CC, 2S, SL, UR, 2A, and More