Just before 11 am, some users trying to book tickets were told that the site wouldn’t be operational for at least an hour. The company, listed on the stock exchange, blamed a technical issue for the downtime, according to some reports.
???? @IRCTCofficial @AshwiniVaishnaw
Once again, IRCTC servers down during Tatkal booking right in the middle of the Diwali. When will IRCTC get a reliable system to handle peak traffic?
Railways deserve better tech for the world’s largest passenger network. ???? pic.twitter.com/SNH1vYSbms— Shivamthak (@Shivam_Thak) October 17, 2025
Tatkal service allows passengers to book a limited number of tickets one day before the intended day of travel. The window for Tatkal bookings opens at 10 am for air-conditioned (AC) coaches, and at 11 am for non-AC berths.
To file a cancellation or TDR, please call customer care numbers 14646, 08044647999 & 08035734999 or email etickets@irctc.co.in.”
The IRCTC website and app account for nearly 1.25 million tickets, 84% of all railway tickets, sold in India in a single day.
Peak festive season nightmare: Middle-class can’t book train tickets amid insane waits. Tatkal? App crashes! Flight fares hitting the stratosphere! @AshwaniVaishnaw @IndianRailMedia @IRCTCofficial @PMOIndia, fix IRCTC & aviation pricing NOW! #FestiveTravelCrisis pic.twitter.com/ixSB5Vh8Ch
— omdeepkaushik (@omdeepkushik) October 17, 2025
Shares of IRCTC were unaffected by the annoyance caused to its users. One of the upsides of being a $6.5 billion monopoly in providing access to the country’s most-popular and essential mode of transport.
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(Edited by : Sriram Iyer)
First Published: Oct 17, 2025 11:45 AM IST
