Millions of railway commuters may soon experience easier online booking, as Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced that an updated IRCTC website will be launched by July 15.
This came into the limelight when Vaishnaw was speaking to students at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur. The problem with frequent captchas, OTP delays, and issues related to booking tickets during peak time surfaced.
There is a video from this particular discussion going viral on social media. During the discussion, one of the students requested the minister to do something about the issues faced by users on the IRCTC portal due to captchas.
Also Read | Cars that talk to each other? India's new road safety plan explained
The railway minister instantly called up a railway official and inquired about the possibility of launching a new site within 30 days. On receiving a positive reply from the official, the minister revealed that the updated site would be launched by July 15.
Long-standing user complaints prompt upgrade
The IRCTC website is the backbone of India's railway ticketing system, handling bookings for millions of passengers every day. However, users have frequently reported issues such as website crashes during high-demand periods, slow loading times and challenges during Tatkal ticket bookings.
The proposed upgrade comes at a time when online reservations dominate railway ticket sales. According to railway officials, nearly 88 per cent of train tickets are now booked digitally, making the reliability of the platform increasingly important.
The railway ministry has also introduced stricter measures to improve booking transparency. Since July last year, Tatkal tickets can only be booked through Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC accounts. During 2025, more than 3 crore user accounts were deactivated, while nearly 2.94 crore accounts were temporarily suspended for revalidation, as part of efforts to curb misuse.
Also Read | S Jaishankar defends Russian oil imports, criticises Western double standards
Railways push digital modernisation
This overhaul of the website falls within the ambit of technology adoption by Indian Railways. At the beginning of the month, IRCTC had announced that it was rolling out an AI-based monitoring system in its food preparation units.
These units have been equipped with more than 2,300 AI cameras, linking more than 800 kitchens in a centrally monitored effort to maintain high standards of hygiene and efficiency in cooking. Now that the deadline of July 15 is here, it will be interesting to observe if this updated website helps in meeting passenger expectations.
FAQs
Q1. When will the new IRCTC website be launched?
The upgraded IRCTC website is scheduled to be launched by July 15, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Q2. Why is IRCTC introducing a new website?
The revamp aims to address common user complaints such as captcha issues, OTP delays, website crashes and Tatkal booking challenges.
