IRCTC handled 20 lakh train ticket bookings in a day: How it is managing the festive season rush

The Indian railway catering and tourism corporation (IRCTC) handled 20,06,353 train ticket bookings on September 7, 2026, marking its highest single-day booking ever. The surge in bookings is attributed to the festive season's advance reservation period (ARP). The next day, IRCTC processed another 19,50,699 bookings. To cope with the high demand, IRCTC has implemented several upgrades to its ticket booking system.

These upgrades include additional servers, changes to the Next Generation e-Ticketing (NGeT) system, a new user interface, anti-bot technology, and other measures aimed at enhancing the booking experience. IRCTC's new user interface, introduced on July 15, 2026, allows passengers to view availability across different classes on a single screen, making the booking process more efficient.

The highest number of bookings typically occurs within the first 15 minutes of the reservation window, with 8.43% to 14.14% of the day's bookings happening during this period. To manage this rush and prevent misuse, IRCTC has introduced measures such as Aadhaar authentication for ticket booking and restrictions on authorized ticketing agents.

The system has also implemented anti-bot measures, reducing malicious bot traffic by 55% to 65%. Over 3 crore user IDs have been deactivated due to suspected misuse, and IRCTC continues to upgrade its online ticket booking system to handle high traffic and ensure a secure and equitable booking experience for passengers.