IRCTC Booking Quotas — Complete Guide
Every Indian Railways train allocates seats across multiple quotas — General, Tatkal, Ladies, Senior Citizen, Defence and more. Picking the right quota dramatically improves your confirmation chance.
📅 Last updated: 7 May 2026 · ✍️ Ghumo editorial team · Cross-checked with current IRCTC rules
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All IRCTC Quotas at a Glance
| Code | Quota | Eligibility | Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GN | General | Anyone | Largest pool — opens 60 days before journey at 8 AM |
| TQ | Tatkal | Anyone (with valid ID) | Opens 1 day before journey: 10 AM (AC) / 11 AM (Non-AC) |
| PT | Premium Tatkal | Anyone | Dynamic pricing — instant confirmation |
| LD | Ladies | Women travelling alone / with kids ≤12 | 6 lower berths per SL coach |
| SS | Senior Citizen | Men 60+, Women 58+ | Lower-berth preference, dedicated berths in SL/3A/2A |
| HP | Handicapped Persons | Valid disability certificate | 2 lower + 2 upper berths per train (concessional fare) |
| DF | Defence | Defence personnel with warrant | Dedicated quota |
| FT | Foreign Tourist | Foreign passport holders | Special quota — book via IRCTC Tourism |
| PH | Parliament/MP/MLA | Parliamentarians on duty | Highest-priority quota |
| YU | Yuva | Discontinued (2010) | — |
| HO | Headquarters/HOR | Railway officials, VIPs | Released after chart prep if unused |
| DP | Duty Pass | Railway employees on duty | Limited |
Special Quotas Explained
Ladies Quota (LD)
Reserves 6 lower berths per Sleeper coach (and similar in 3AC/2AC on most long-distance trains) for women travelling alone or with kids under 12. Select "Ladies" quota at booking. Higher confirmation chance since the pool is small but rarely fully booked.
Senior Citizen (SS)
For men aged 60+ and women aged 58+. The fare concession was discontinued in March 2020, but the lower-berth allotment preference and a small dedicated quota still apply. Always select "Senior Citizen" at booking even though the fare is full.
Handicapped (HP)
Requires a valid Railway Concession ID Card or Disability Certificate. Provides 75% concession on basic fare in SL/3A and 50% in 2A/1A. Limited berths per train.
Premium Tatkal (PT)
A dynamic-pricing version of Tatkal. Fare rises with demand — can be 1.5–3× the regular Tatkal fare. Always confirms instantly. Non-refundable even on cancellation. Read our Tatkal Booking Guide for the full picture.
Booking PT through Ghumo: the third-party booking deep-link does not accept the PT quota code, so Ghumo shows a “Book” shortcut for PT that opens the official booking site directly — available from 10 minutes before Tatkal opens (i.e. 9:50 AM IST for AC classes) and through the rest of that day. After landing on the booking site, switch the quota dropdown to Premium Tatkal to complete your booking.
Pooled & Remote-Location Quotas
For intermediate stations, IRCTC uses smaller pools:
- PQ (Pooled Quota): Shared across multiple short-distance origin-destination pairs.
- RLQ (Remote Location Quota): Tiny pool for specific intermediate stations.
- RSQ (Roadside Quota): Even smaller pool for very minor halts.
If your booking lands on PQ, RLQ or RSQ, you'll see PQWL/RLWL/RSWL in your PNR if not confirmed. See Waitlist Types for confirmation odds.
How to Pick the Right Quota
- Booking 60+ days out: Use General (GN) — best inventory.
- Booking 1 day before: Use Tatkal (TQ).
- Tatkal failed: Try Premium Tatkal (PT).
- Woman with kids: Pick Ladies (LD) — smaller pool, often available.
- 60+/58+ traveller: Pick Senior Citizen (SS) — lower berth preference.
- Disability certificate: HP quota — concessional fare.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ladies quota?
Reserves 6 lower berths per SL coach (and similar in 3A/2A) for women travelling alone or with kids ≤12.
Is the Senior Citizen fare concession back?
No — discontinued in March 2020. The Senior Citizen quota and lower-berth preference still apply.
Can I book multiple quotas in one PNR?
No. Each PNR is tied to one quota. Book separate PNRs if travelling under different quotas.
Where can I see quota-wise availability?
Ghumo shows live, quota-wise availability everywhere — no separate lookup needed:
- Train card: GN (General), TQ (Tatkal) and PT (Premium Tatkal) for every class, side-by-side.
- GN / TQ filter chips above the results to narrow the list by quota.
- 15-Day Availability panel (📅 on any card) to compare GN & TQ across the next 15 days in one grid.
- Topbar quota button (next to the date) to opt-in to LD (Ladies), SS (Senior Citizen), HO (Headquarters), DF (Defence), DP (Duty Pass), FT (Foreign Tourist), YU (Yuva) and PH (Physically Handicapped) — each appears as an extra row in the live grid. The picker auto-checks TQ and PT when the IRCTC booking window for your selected date is open.
- One-tap booking: GN, TQ, LD and SS cells deep-link straight into the booking flow.