People planning to travel by train during the bustling festive season, particularly for the upcoming Chhath festival, took to social media on Saturday to voice their frustration over widespread glitches and downtime on the official Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website.
The complaints surged as many attempted to secure urgent tickets, including during the critical Tatkal booking window. Downdetector, a website that tracks real-time service disruptions, noted a significant spike, recording close to 180 reports of IRCTC service disruptions around 10 am this morning.
‘Completely Down’ During Tatkal
One of the most vocal complaints came from an X (formerly Twitter) user, @Pradeep63235513, a student seemingly attempting to book a ticket for an examination. “The IRCTC website is COMPLETELY DOWN just 1min before booking start for #Tatkal booking,” the user posted. “Trying to book an AC ticket since last 3 days for my exam. This happens every festive season.” The tweet also included relevant hashtags like #IRCTCDown, #TatkalBooking, and #FestiveTravel.
Another user also tagged the official handle, stating, “Irctc website is down while ticket booking Sir. Plz do needful,” and attached a screenshot as evidence.
IRCTC Responds, No Official Statement
While the IRCTC has not yet issued a formal press statement addressing the mass disruption, its official X handle has been actively responding to the barrage of complaints. In a standardised reply to the frustrated users, the IRCTC directed them to its official complaint portal.
To the user reporting a booking issue, the railway body replied: “Sir, kindly raise your concern/complaint on https://equery.irctc.co.in/irctc_equery/ using registered mobile no /mail id.”
The persistent website and server issues have become a recurring feature during peak travel seasons, leading to significant stress and inconvenience for millions of commuters dependent on the railway system for essential travel.