IRCTC Down: Users facing ticket booking problems; Here's 7 alternative ways to book train tickets online

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

IRCTC), the primary platform for booking tickets on Indian Railways, faced another significant outage on Thursday, leaving users across the country unable to access the website and mobile app. The outage, caused by scheduled maintenance activities, left many passengers frustrated, as they were unable to book or manage their train tickets. Downdetector reported over 2,500 complaints of the outage at its peak.

This issue is not new. Similar disruptions have occurred in recent weeks, including one on December 26 and another on December 31, leading to growing concerns among frequent users about the platform’s reliability. Passengers trying to book tickets during peak hours, such as the Tatkal scheme, expressed their frustration on social media, with some tagging the railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw. One user wrote, “Please make a reel on trying to login to IRCTC portal at 10 AM for Tatkal ticket.” Another user shared, “It is 10:11 am… still IRCTC is not opening… IRCTC should be enquired and checked… definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens, all the tickets are gone… @AshwiniVaishnaw @irctc.”

The IRCTC website displayed a message confirming the outage, saying, «Due to maintenance activity, e-ticketing service will not be available. Please try later.» This is the fifth such disruption in a short period, prompting calls for better digital infrastructure to support India’s vast railway network.

Also Read: IRCTC reportedly down again; passengers express frustation

7 Alternative Methods for Booking Train