Advance Reservation Period (ARP) in IRCTC refers to the number of days before your journey date when you can start booking reserved train tickets online via the IRCTC portal or the RailYatri app. As of the latest policy update effective November 1, 2024 , IRCTC has reduced the ARP to 60 days in advance , excluding the departure date. This applies to all classes like AC 1/2/3-Tier, Sleeper, and General, streamlining the process to reduce cancellations and no-shows while improving seat availability for genuine travelers.

Key Details

The ARP is calculated from the booking date, with tickets becoming available exactly 60 days prior to the journey. For example, if your travel date is April 15, 2026, you can book starting February 15, 2026 (60 days before, excluding the journey day). At intermediate stations where the train arrives the next day, reservations may open 61 days in advance. Foreign tourists retain the prior 120-day ARP for flexibility, but this change impacts domestic bookings primarily.

Booking windows run from 00:30 AM to 11:30 PM daily on IRCTC, with Tatkal tickets (for last-minute bookings) available separately at fixed times. This adjustment follows trends from earlier ARP ranges of 30-120 days, now optimized based on reservation data to balance demand and utilization.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.