Current Booking in Indian Railways: How to Book Confirmed Train Tickets After Chart Preparation (10% Discount)

1. What is Current Booking (CURR_BKNG) in Indian Railways?

When Indian Railways prepares the first reservation chart at least 4 hours before scheduled train departure, all unutilized quota berths (such as unallocated VIP/Emergency quotas, unsold Tatkal seats, foreign tourist quotas, and defense quotas) are released to the general public.

Instead of leaving these berths empty, the CRIS reservation system marks them as "Current Reservation" (CURR_BKNG). Anyone can book these seats online via the IRCTC website/app or across station PRS counters on a first-come, first-served basis.

• 100% Confirmed Berths: Every ticket booked under Current Reservation is directly confirmed (CNF) with coach and berth number allocated on the spot.
• No Waiting List: Current booking tickets are never waitlisted; if berths run out, the train simply shows "REGRET / NOT AVAILABLE".
• Discounted Fares on Select Trains: Premium trains (Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, and Vande Bharat) apply a 10% discount on basic fare for vacant berths booked in current reservation.

2. Exact Timings: When Does Current Reservation Open and Close?

Current Booking operates strictly within a specific 3.5-hour time window before the train departs from its originating station (or intermediate remote station).

• Opening Time: Exactly when the 1st Reservation Chart is finalized (at least 4 hours before scheduled train departure).
• Closing Time: Closes 30 to 50 minutes before scheduled train departure, right before the 2nd and Final Chart is printed for the train conductor (TTE).
• Example: For a train scheduled to depart at 8:00 PM, 1st chart is prepared around 3:45 PM – 4:00 PM. Current booking remains open from ~4:00 PM until 7:15 PM.

3. How to View Vacant Berths in Real-Time (Charts/Vacancy)

You do not even need to log in to your IRCTC account to see which coaches and berths are empty! Indian Railways provides a free real-time visual coach layout viewer.

• Step 1: Visit irctc.co.in or open the IRCTC Rail Connect app.
• Step 2: Click on the "Charts / Vacancy" button located on the top navigation bar.
• Step 3: Enter your Train Number, Boarding Station, and Journey Date, then click "Get Train Chart".
• Step 4: The system displays a full graphical coach diagram showing every vacant lower, middle, upper, and side berth highlighted in green.

4. Step-by-Step: How to Book Current Tickets Online

Booking a current reservation ticket takes less than 60 seconds once you know where to look on IRCTC:

• Step 1: Login to your IRCTC account 4 hours before train departure.
• Step 2: Search your train between your source and destination station.
• Step 3: Under class selection (SL, 3A, 2A, CC), look for the green status text: "CURR_BKNG-XX" (where XX is the number of vacant berths, e.g. CURR_BKNG-08).
• Step 4: Click Book Now, add your passenger details, select your berth preference, and pay via UPI or card.
• Step 5: Your ticket confirms immediately with coach number (e.g. B2-45) printed on your electronic reservation slip.