The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is facing a significant outage today, December 26, 2024, leaving many passengers unable to book tickets through its website and mobile application. As frustration mounts, users have taken to social media to voice their complaints about the disruption during a critical booking window for Tatkal tickets.
Details of the Outage
Reports indicate that both the IRCTC app and website went down early this morning, with many users encountering an error message stating, “unable to perform action due to maintenance activity.” According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks online outages, there has been a notable spike in reports, with over 2,500 users affected by the issue.
This outage marks the second major disruption for IRCTC this month; the platform previously experienced a one-hour maintenance on December 9. The timing of today’s outage is particularly troubling as it coincides with the busy holiday season when many travelers rely on IRCTC for last-minute ticket bookings.
It is 10:11am … still IRCTC is not opening….
IRCTC should be enquired and checked… definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens all the tickets are gone… @AshwiniVaishnaw @irctc pic.twitter.com/NLTWJmvOt7
— Avanish Mishra (@iamavim) December 26, 2024
Passenger Reactions
Frustrated passengers expressed their concerns on social media platforms, highlighting the recurring issues with the IRCTC system. One user tweeted: “@RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw @PMOIndia when will this fraud stop? Always at 10 AM, the IRCTC website crashes, and by the time it reopens, all Tatkal tickets are booked!”
Another user lamented: “India reached the moon, but the Indian Railways ticket booking app can’t handle Tatkal booking without crashing. It’s 2024; a stable server shouldn’t be rocket science!”
Impact on Ticket Bookings
Tatkal ticket bookings are crucial for many passengers as they allow for last-minute travel arrangements. The booking for AC classes starts at 10 AM, while non-AC classes open at 11 AM. Today’s outage has left many unable to secure their desired tickets during these peak times.
Official Response and Next Steps
As of now, IRCTC has not issued an official statement regarding the cause of the outage or when services will be restored. Passengers looking to cancel their tickets can still do so by contacting customer care or emailing their ticket details for assistance.
Conclusion
The ongoing issues with the IRCTC platform raise significant concerns about its reliability during high-traffic periods. As passengers await updates on service restoration, many are left frustrated and unable to make travel arrangements during this busy season.
Disclaimer
This article is based on live updates and reports regarding the IRCTC outage. Please verify details directly from official sources as they may change.
