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IRCTC Tickets Show ‘Regret’ As Festive Rush Peaks; Passengers Face Errors At 8 AM

IRCTC train bookings

Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ HarshWCAM3 & X/@rahulseth01

As the festive season approaches, it is the perfect time for people to travel, whether to their hometowns or on a trip. To meet the increasing travel demand, Indian Railways has added special trains. But it looks like IRCTC is making it difficult for passengers to book tickets, with many unable to complete their bookings. Read on to know what happened! 

Why Are Passengers Unable To Book Train Tickets On IRCTC?

For the festive season, many passengers are travelling to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. But when they try to book their train tickets under the 60-day Advance Reservation Period (ARP), they are unable to do so. 

What Is The 60-Day Advance Reservation Period?

The 60-day Advance Reservation Period (ARP) lets passengers book regular train tickets up to 60 days before their journey. The booking window opens at 8 AM on the opening day for 15 minutes on the IRCTC and Rail One app. 

According to Bhasker English report, as soon as passengers open the IRCTC portal at 8 AM to book tickets, they start getting error messages, making it difficult to complete their bookings. This issue remains for around 10 minutes before the portal starts working properly, but by then, many seats have moved to ‘regret’ or waiting-list status.

Also Read: Indian Railways Announces 1,053 Special Train Trips For Diwali, Durga Puja Rush; Check Routes

Technical Issues Continue To Affect Online Train Bookings

If you think authorised agents can also book tickets during the 8 AM–8:15 AM window, then you’re wrong. This 15-minute period is only for passengers. As per Bhaskar English, internet speed can also be a reason for failed train bookings.

A former senior railway officer, Pradeep Sharma, said technical issues continue to affect online ticket bookings. According to him, server-related problems during the morning booking window can be the reason passengers are getting error messages. He also mentioned that proper research is needed to understand the main reason.

Are you facing the same issue? Tell us in the comments below!

Also Read: Indian Railways New UPI Rule For Ticket Booking; Will Passengers Have To Pay ₹5 Extra?

Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ HarshWCAM3 & X/@rahulseth01

FAQs

Where to book train tickets online?

You can book train tickets online on IRCTC, Rail One, and ixigo.

What is the problem with IRCTC train bookings?

Passengers are facing error messages on IRCTC while trying to book tickets during the 8 AM opening window.

How many days before the trip does the booking window open?

Priyanshi Shah: Priyanshi Shah is a Content Writer at Curly Tales with 4 years of experience in writing. She loves writing about fashion, food, travel and entertainment. She has completed her graduation with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. What keeps Priyanshi going is hot chocolate, books and rom-com movies.