The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website has been experiencing a significant outage, leaving users unable to access e-ticketing services. The downtime, attributed to maintenance activity, has caused widespread inconvenience, especially during the crucial Tatkal ticket booking period.
Outage Details
According to Downdetector, the outage began around 9:47 pm. Visitors to the IRCTC website are greeted with a message stating, “DUE TO MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY, E-TICKETING SERVICE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. PLEASE TRY LATER. FOR CANCELLATION/FILE TDR, PLEASE CALL AT CUSTOMER CARE NO. 14646,08044647999 & 08035734999 OR MAIL AT etickets@irctc.co.in.”
Thousands of users have reported login issues and disruptions in booking tickets. Despite the notification on the site, IRCTC has not provided a clear timeline for when services will be restored.
Recurring Issues
This is the second reported outage of the IRCTC website this month. On December 9, both the website and app went down around 10 am, causing a similar disruption during Tatkal booking hours. Today’s outage, coinciding with the same timeframe, has further aggravated passengers’ frustrations.
Social Media Reaction
Many users took to social media to express their discontent. Complaints ranged from missing out on Tatkal bookings to general grievances about the platform’s reliability.
One user tweeted, “IRCTC down again! Can’t book tickets during Tatkal. Why is there no backup plan during such crucial periods?” Another said, “Frequent crashes like this are unacceptable. Hope IRCTC resolves these issues permanently.”
What’s Next?
While IRCTC claims the downtime is due to maintenance, passengers are eagerly awaiting updates. For now, users are advised to contact IRCTC’s customer care for cancellations and refunds or email their concerns at etickets@irctc.co.in.
Conclusion
The recurring outages of the IRCTC platform highlight the need for better infrastructure and contingency planning, particularly during high-demand periods like Tatkal bookings. Until services are fully restored, passengers will have to rely on alternative means to manage their travel plans.