Already confirming tickets from IRCTC is a very difficult task, especially now. If there is any technical error on it, then it is absolutely a problem. Aam Aadmi faced such a situation on Monday morning.
IRCTC is trending on Google Search as the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation suffered a significant outage this morning. Its online ticket booking, cancellation and instant ticketing services have been disrupted. Users trying to book tickets through the IRCTC website and app faced severe disruption, with many reporting that they were unable to book tickets immediately. This has caused widespread frustration, especially for those trying to secure last-minute travel.
Problems with payment and ticket access
Apart from booking failure, many users have also faced payment failure issues. Many people book tickets but do not get confirmation. Complaints about the outage flooded X (formerly Twitter), with customers expressing dissatisfaction with the unreliability of the service. Despite the growing number of complaints, IRCTC is yet to give any official acknowledgment on the matter.
Server maintenance or cyber attack?
When users try to log in to the IRCTC website, they are greeted with a message that the system is down for maintenance. The message claims that the e-ticketing service will be down for the next hour due to ongoing maintenance work. Maintenance usually takes place at night, with the timing of the outage coinciding with the critical 10am slot for early ticket bookings, fueling speculation as to what exactly was behind the scenes. As complaints escalated at 10am, some began speculating about the possibility of a cyber attack on the platform. However, so far no statement or statement has been issued by IRCTC regarding this claim.
Alternative arrangements for affected customers
In the absence of operational online services, IRCTC advises customers to call their customer care number or send email to cancel tickets or submit Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR). With no further update on the cause of the disruption, travelers are frustrated and are left hoping for an official update from IRCTC.