IRCTC Site Revamp To Cut Captchas, Booking Steps

Hyderabad: Indian Railways is set to launch the beta version of the revamped IRCTC website on Friday, with officials seeking user feedback ahead of its full rollout. The current website has been swamped by complaints over its user-unfriendliness.

The beta version introduces four key changes: removal of unnecessary captchas, pop-ups and graphics; visibility of seat availability across classes; faster checkout with fewer booking steps; and easier repeat booking through saved passenger details.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Centre For Railway Information Systems (CRIS) officials recently met students of Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, who reviewed the beta version on July 10. The interaction follows earlier feedback from the students highlighting issues in the existing platform.

Officials said the upgraded website is being integrated with the passenger reservation system, which is also undergoing parallel revamp. The new portal is expected to be fully functional in the coming months once integration is complete.

They added that the passenger reservation system, in use for nearly four decades and powering train booking applications, is being upgraded while remaining operational. “The upgrade has involved extensive work while keeping the system operational without disruption. The new passenger reservation system will be launched soon.”

On Tatkal bookings, officials said efforts to curb bot activity were ongoing. “We have taken several measures to curb bots in Tatkal bookings. While there has been some improvement, it remains a continuing challenge and further efforts are needed. We will continue to strengthen safeguards against such misuse.”

They also noted that the RailOne app has crossed four crore downloads and has emerged as a major platform for railway services.