After student complaints, Ashwini Vaishnaw orders new IRCTC website by July 15
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that a new IRCTC website will be launched by July 15 after students raised concerns about issues on the current platform. The upgraded website is expected to improve the online ticket booking experience for millions of railway passengers.
The government is set to roll out a revamped IRCTC website by July 15, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The announcement came during an interaction with students at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, where a discussion about the long-standing issues on the railway ticket booking platform took an unexpected turn.
A video from the event has since gone viral on social media. In the clip, a student raised concerns about the captcha system on the IRCTC platform, which many passengers have complained about for years, especially while booking tickets during peak hours. Responding immediately, Vaishnaw called a railway official during the session and informed him that students were demanding a new IRCTC website.
The minister then asked whether the upgraded platform could be made ready within 30 days. After the brief conversation, he informed the audience that the new website would be launched by July 15, drawing applause from the students present at the event.
The announcement comes as millions of railway passengers continue to face issues while booking tickets online. Users have frequently reported website crashes, slow performance, OTP-related problems and difficulties during Tatkal bookings, where heavy traffic often puts pressure on the system. With online reservations now accounting for the vast majority of railway ticket bookings, improving the platform has become increasingly important.
Digital ticketing has grown rapidly since Indian Railways introduced online reservations in 2002. According to railway officials, nearly 88 percent of train tickets are now booked through digital channels rather than physical reservation counters. The importance of the platform increased further after the government restricted Tatkal bookings last year to Aadhaar-authenticated users using the IRCTC website or mobile app.
The railway ecosystem has also seen stricter action against misuse of online ticketing services. During 2025, more than 3 crore IRCTC accounts were deactivated, while nearly 2.94 crore accounts were temporarily suspended and asked to undergo revalidation.
The proposed IRCTC website is the latest in a series of technology-focused initiatives being introduced across government services. Earlier this month, IRCTC announced an AI-powered food monitoring system aimed at improving hygiene standards in railway kitchens. More than 800 kitchens across India have been connected to thousands of AI-enabled cameras that monitor food preparation activities from a central control room in New Delhi.
The push for modernisation is also visible in other government digital platforms. Recently, the government confirmed that the existing mAadhaar application will be phased out and replaced by a redesigned Aadhaar app. The new platform introduces QR-based identity sharing, stronger authentication methods and additional controls that allow users to manage biometric access more securely.
The government is set to roll out a revamped IRCTC website by July 15, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The announcement came during an interaction with students at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, where a discussion about the long-standing issues on the railway ticket booking platform took an unexpected turn.
A video from the event has since gone viral on social media. In the clip, a student raised concerns about the captcha system on the IRCTC platform, which many passengers have complained about for years, especially while booking tickets during peak hours. Responding immediately, Vaishnaw called a railway official during the session and informed him that students were demanding a new IRCTC website.
The minister then asked whether the upgraded platform could be made ready within 30 days. After the brief conversation, he informed the audience that the new website would be launched by July 15, drawing applause from the students present at the event.
The announcement comes as millions of railway passengers continue to face issues while booking tickets online. Users have frequently reported website crashes, slow performance, OTP-related problems and difficulties during Tatkal bookings, where heavy traffic often puts pressure on the system. With online reservations now accounting for the vast majority of railway ticket bookings, improving the platform has become increasingly important.
Digital ticketing has grown rapidly since Indian Railways introduced online reservations in 2002. According to railway officials, nearly 88 percent of train tickets are now booked through digital channels rather than physical reservation counters. The importance of the platform increased further after the government restricted Tatkal bookings last year to Aadhaar-authenticated users using the IRCTC website or mobile app.
The railway ecosystem has also seen stricter action against misuse of online ticketing services. During 2025, more than 3 crore IRCTC accounts were deactivated, while nearly 2.94 crore accounts were temporarily suspended and asked to undergo revalidation.
The proposed IRCTC website is the latest in a series of technology-focused initiatives being introduced across government services. Earlier this month, IRCTC announced an AI-powered food monitoring system aimed at improving hygiene standards in railway kitchens. More than 800 kitchens across India have been connected to thousands of AI-enabled cameras that monitor food preparation activities from a central control room in New Delhi.
The push for modernisation is also visible in other government digital platforms. Recently, the government confirmed that the existing mAadhaar application will be phased out and replaced by a redesigned Aadhaar app. The new platform introduces QR-based identity sharing, stronger authentication methods and additional controls that allow users to manage biometric access more securely.
