IRCTC Down: Website faces major outage, ticket bookings and services disrupted

IRCTC is advising customers to call their customer care number or send an email for ticket cancellations or filing Ticket Deposit Receipts (TDR).

Users attempting to book tickets via the IRCTC website and app encountered severe disruptions, with many reporting an inability to book Tatkal tickets. (IRCTC)

IRCTC down is trending on Google Search as Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is hit with a significant outage this morning, disrupting its online ticket booking, cancellation, and instant ticketing services. Users attempting to book tickets via the IRCTC website and app encountered severe disruptions, with many reporting an inability to book Tatkal tickets. The issue is causing widespread frustration, particularly for those hoping to secure last-minute travel.

Problems with Payments and Ticket Access

Alongside booking failures, users faced problems with payments not going through, preventing transactions from being completed. Several individuals also reported issues viewing or receiving their tickets after attempting to book. Complaints about the outage have flooded Twitter, with customers expressing dissatisfaction over the service's unreliability. Despite the growing number of complaints, IRCTC has yet to issue an official acknowledgment of the issue.

Server Maintenance or Cyber Attack?

When users attempt to log in to the IRCTC website, they are greeted with a message stating the system is down for maintenance. The message claims that e-ticketing services will remain unavailable for the next hour due to ongoing maintenance work. While maintenance typically occurs during the night, the timing of the outage coincided with the critical 10:00 am slot for Tatkal ticket bookings, raising suspicions about a potential issue with the server.

The sharp spike in complaints at the 10 am mark has led some to speculate about the possibility of a cyber attack on the platform. However, as of now, there has been no confirmation or statement from IRCTC regarding this claim.

Alternative Measures for Affected Customers

In the absence of functioning online services, IRCTC is advising customers to call their customer care number or send an email for ticket cancellations or filing Ticket Deposit Receipts (TDR). With no further updates on the cause of the disruption, travellers remain frustrated and eager for an official response from IRCTC.