IRCTC, the online ticketing platform for Indian Railways, is experiencing a significant outage on Thursday due to maintenance, disrupting access to its website and mobile app. This is the second disruption in December, raising concerns among frequent users.
In a statement, IRCTC confirmed that the outage was due to maintenance activities, which have temporarily halted e-ticketing services. It urged passengers to try again later.
For those needing to cancel tickets, IRCTC advised contacting customer care or emailing ticket details for a Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR). The customer care numbers are 14646, 08044647999, and 08035734999.
The timing of the outage is particularly problematic during the busy holiday season when many rely on the platform for ticket management.
Impact on IRCTC Stock and Recent Policy Changes
The outage has affected IRCTC’s stock, which has dropped nearly 1% in today’s trading, continuing a downward trend over the past week and year-to-date, with a loss of over 10% in 2024.
The disruption follows recent changes to Indian Railways’ booking policies, such as reducing the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) from 120 to 60 days to prevent over-booking and cancellations. While this move is aimed at improving ticket management during peak periods, it has received mixed reactions.
