The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), responsible for facilitating millions of train ticket bookings daily, faced another outage on Friday morning, leaving passengers frustrated. The website and app went down during the critical Tatkal booking window, causing widespread inconvenience.
Recurring Outages on IRCTC Platform
This isn’t the first time IRCTC users have experienced disruptions. The platform plays a crucial role in train-related services such as ticket booking, PNR status inquiries, and ticket cancellations. Frequent downtimes during peak booking hours, like the Tatkal window, have led to repeated frustrations among passengers.
On Friday, users attempting to book tickets were greeted with an error message:
“Ticket booking and cancellation will not be available for the next one hour. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Reported Outages and User Complaints
According to Downdetector, complaints about the IRCTC website and app began surfacing around 10:50 AM. The disruptions were reported across multiple platforms, including the mobile app and desktop site. This timing proved particularly problematic for passengers relying on Tatkal services, which are time-sensitive.
Social Media Outrage
Angry users took to social media to vent their frustrations. Some of the comments included:
- “Tatkal tickets are not being booked on IRCTC. The website has gone down several times this month. Indian Railways, with a budget of ₹2.5 lakh crore, cannot even maintain a website. This is pathetic.”
- “The IRCTC app is down during the critical Tatkal window. Booking tickets during festivals like Diwali or Pongal is a nightmare. Total disappointment!”
Recent History of Outages
IRCTC has faced multiple outages in the past, particularly during busy travel periods. In December 2024 alone, the platform went down on three occasions:
- December 9: Reportedly unavailable due to maintenance.
- December 26: Unexpected downtime caused chaos for holiday travelers.
- December 31: The platform faced issues during the year-end travel rush.
Demand for Better Infrastructure
The repeated failures of the IRCTC platform have raised questions about its e-ticketing infrastructure’s reliability. Given that the Indian Railways serves millions of passengers daily, many are now urging the government to invest in robust digital infrastructure capable of handling heavy traffic.
Conclusion
Frequent outages on IRCTC’s platforms during crucial booking periods like Tatkal have highlighted the urgent need for technological upgrades. Passengers are demanding a more reliable and efficient system to match the scale and importance of Indian Railways. For an organization catering to one of the world’s largest railway networks, ensuring a seamless online booking experience should be a top priority.
