New IRCTC website goes live: Check features
What's the story
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched a revamped version of its ticket-booking website today. It promises faster page loads, increased booking capacity, cleaner UI, and solutions to common issues faced during Tatkal reservations. The decision to redesign the site was prompted by students at an event in Rajasthan last month, who highlighted the difficulties in using the existing portal for train ticket bookings.
User-friendly upgrades
Key features of the redesigned website
The redesigned website allows passengers to choose their preferred seats at the time of booking, instead of being randomly assigned one.
It also features a fare calendar, enabling users to check ticket prices for different dates before confirming a booking.
The new platform shows seat availability across all classes on a single screen, saving users from unnecessary scrolling and second-guessing.
Inclusive design
Enhanced accessibility and user experience
The upgraded website is available in multiple Indian languages, making it accessible to a wider range of users.
It also combines services for Divyangjan, students, and patients onto one integrated platform.
The new interface aims to reduce unnecessary pop-ups, flashing banners, and repeated CAPTCHA checks that currently disrupt the booking flow.
This way, it hopes to minimize distractions between "search" and "confirm," resulting in fewer missed bookings.
Scalability
Upgraded backend for improved performance
The new platform is designed to handle over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, nearly five times the capacity of the current system.
The Passenger Reservation System (PRS) backend is also being upgraded to manage over 40 lakh inquiries per minute, compared with around four lakh today.
This upgrade is part of a larger effort by Indian Railways to modernize its nearly 40-year-old PRS and improve online ticket booking experience for passengers.