The Indian Railways’ Train Reservation website IRCTC.co.in is the 22nd most trafficked site in India according to Alexa rankings and it is one of the worst websites in India! Here is my truncated list of woes and I am sure most (if not all) experience all/most of these problems. 
The site is slow, very slow, painfully slow! It irritates like anything. The server support is just not enough. You need to be lucky to finish your job with this site. You never know when it will hang or become inaccessible. My success rate with this site has been 7 out of 10 and my friends and neighbours also have a similar experiences with this website. If you are very unlucky you may be charged without a corresponding ticket booked for you (you get the money back later of course). I am ‘on a wing and a prayer’ whenever I have to use this website. What should be over is just 5-7 minutes often takes some 30 minutes or more on this website (and often in vain).
Try accessing it at about 8 am for Tatkal ticket booking. For some weird reason (feel free to call it conspiracy), it is rarely accessible from 8 am to 8:30 am every day! It is a very useful site just the same and one I can’t live without! I am thinking of sending this post by email to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and to senior officers in the said ministry (as if they don’t know, huh!).
Also read Indian Railways and IRCTC sucks!
You’re right. It is painfully slow. But like you said, I can’t do without it. Come to think about it, almost all Indian sites have the same terrible design – maybe they’re hiring the same firm
Bhagwad,
You are so right! All govt sites suck! This site is hosted with MTNL and MTNL really really sucks! Designs are also by some govt. organization only (mostly NIC if I am not incorrect) or by some pvt. organisation. You know the UPSC website has not changed a bit in last 10 years!
i guess you are keeping reader’s like me waiting for you to write some light post. with no offense , please fulfill our request.
Arpit,
I have no time to write something creative unfortunately. So I write some social posts to keep the blog going and the trend will continue. Will consider your suggestion. Thanks. I was under the impression you are no more into reading/writing blogs due to your studies.
oh no no! i am still alive and kicking in the blogging world
studies are integral and so is blogging . it was just that i had no inspiration to write something new. was just in the mode of rediscovering myself
but i have posted something new, not a full fledged article but a snap with a small line expressing my state of mind. i guess you have missed it out.
and no worries , even social posts will do the needful, i thought being a regular reader i should express my opinion. hope you are fine with it
Arpit,
Glad to know you are alive and kicking. I had really missed that pic post. Thanks for mentioning it.
I agree . Initial part of selection of train etc is reasonable….. but when you key in your details and proceed to pay out part the probability of the transaction getting completed is not even 40%. sad part is one has to start all over again….why all government websites suffer from these problems ……lack of accountability I guess……
Yes, if the site is loading that the initial part is not a problem. Completing the whole process is a herculean task indeed.
ahh yes the site is very slow. all other downloads have to be stopped else payment fails. Also their customer care numbers are a fail..nobody ever picks up any of the numbers!
true true true!!!!!!!!!!! always faced.. i try using book my trip it costs 10rs extra though
Really true it sucks a lot! I had been trying to book a ticket through tatkal, the login screen didn’t move ahead at all for a hour, SO i droped the plan of IRCTC and rushed to the railway station for booking the ticket after a hour struggling with this website, but my bad luck i didn’t even get through the ticket. If this website would have baan working properly I would have got a tatkal ticked.
And even the coustomer service people are not responding…
Praveen, you can also use Clartrip and others to book tickets (as Praven says he does) though I have never used other services (and wonder how they can work in real time when the IRCTC site is down!).
DEAR ALL…
WE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR MAKING THE TATKAL TICKETS FROM IRCTC. FOR MORE PLZ VISIT http://WWW.THESMARTSHOP.IN, OR MAIL” KAPIL.VASHISTHA@THESMARTSHOP.IN.
HOPE WE HELP YOU ALOT IN MAKING TATKAL TICKETS & MAKE IT SO SIMPLE….
Oh yes i totally AGREE!
I HAVE ONE OTHER GOOD SOLUTION I AM 90% SUCSES ON TATKAL BOKING I HAVE TRU SOLUTION IF ANY WANT THEN MAIL, ME ON IRFANB20 @ YAHOO.COM
OR VISIT…
http://WWW.ONESTOPSHOP.COM
The problem is the way the site has been set up. Information and booking are completely separate for some reason (probably in keeping with traditional information and reservation booths).
Hello,
Thanks for posting such a great information on India railways, but I think the main issue with IRCTC is the REFUND.
The refund policy is very bad, it may take more then 3-4 months even after many followups via emails and even send a written complaint to the GM of Indian Railways.. This is the only drawback, our Govt. should take some action and improve the refund policy so that customer do not face at least refund problem.
IRCTC site is slow betwenn 8:00AM to 9:00AM only. The reason is they are reducing the bandwidth during this time to disallow tatkal booking. This is to help some thirpaty agencies , I think so
I too feel the same!
they are allocating bandwidth to agents and making the public’s life a mess
It Sucks….really sucks….I had 4 failed transactions and because of this my bank account was not functional for 4 days as all the money was blocked by IRCTC…sucks…sucks…sucks