'IRCTC not working': Train ticket booking users

Train ticket reservations on the IRCTC platform experienced significant difficulties for several users on Thursday and Friday, with many taking to social media to complain about repeated errors, slow loading times and booking failures. The problems seemed particularly prevalent during the morning booking rush. Users reported being unable to proceed past the booking process before seats became unavailable, despite attempting to book tickets as early as 8 am.

While IRCTC has not issued any official statement regarding the outage, Downdetector records confirm that users reported issues across the app, ticketing and website.

The difficulty in booking may also be linked to the festival-season surge in train reservations, as thousands of travellers attempt to book tickets during this busy period. Indian Railways recorded its highest daily passenger bookings to date, with 22.26 lakh tickets being booked in a single day through the reservation system on September 7.

One of the most common complaints was the appearance of the "Unable to Process Request" message when attempting to book tickets. Users expressed frustration at the persistent issue, with some stating they had been trying to book tickets since 8 am without success. Another passenger described the experience as "extremely frustrating" and questioned whether genuine passengers were given a fair chance to secure tickets. The user also called for an investigation into possible misuse of bots or agents.

The latest complaints come after IRCTC introduced a redesigned website aimed at providing a cleaner interface and simpler booking experience. However, some passengers now argue that the redesign has not resolved the underlying booking problems. They question the settings on the server and express dissatisfaction with the app's inability to open during normal and Tatkal bookings, often displaying a "regret" message instead of allowing passengers to secure tickets.