Ticket Turmoil: IRCTC Faces Festive Outage Amid Chhath Puja Rush

India’s festive travel season hit a snag as the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) platform faced technical disruptions on Saturday morning. With thousands attempting to book train tickets for Chhath Puja, users flooded social media with complaints about login failures, incomplete transactions, and error messages on both the website and mobile app.

Key Highlights  

- Downdetector reported a spike in complaints around 10:55 AM on October 25, indicating a widespread outage  

- Users encountered messages such as “This Site is currently unreachable, please try after some time” while accessing IRCTC services  

- The outage marks the second major disruption in a week, following similar issues during Diwali bookings  

- Despite the glitch, IRCTC has not released an official statement but responded to individual complaints via its e-query portal  

- The disruption comes amid a surge in travel to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with stations witnessing overcrowding and long queues  

- Special trains have been deployed to manage the festive rush, but online booking remains a critical bottleneck  

- Security forces at major stations are struggling to manage the influx, further complicating travel logistics

The recurring outages raise questions about IRCTC’s preparedness for high-traffic periods and the need for more resilient digital infrastructure. With millions relying on online bookings, especially during festivals, seamless access is not just a convenience—it’s a necessity.

Sources: Livemint, News18, Financial Express, India Today, Zee News