New Delhi – Millions of railway commuters faced significant travel delays and booking issues on Thursday, December 26, after the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) e-ticketing platform experienced a major outage. The temporary shutdown affected both the official website and mobile application, causing widespread frustration across the country.

Cause of the Disruption

The core reason for the service interruption was announced as planned maintenance activity. Upon attempting to access the platform, users were met with a notice stating, “Due to maintenance activity, e-ticketing service will not be available at present. Please try later.”

Widespread Passenger Impact

The timing of the outage proved especially challenging for passengers dependent on the service for immediate travel. The disruption coincided directly with the critical morning hours for Tatkal ticket bookings, a reservation window highly sought after by last-minute travelers. Tatkal reservations typically begin at 10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for sleeper classes, meaning countless users were unable to secure time-sensitive tickets.

This event underscores the nation’s critical dependence on digital platforms for managing public transport, as the inability to book tickets online left many travel plans stranded.

Coincident Stock Market Movement

In addition to the public inconvenience, the platform’s downtime coincided with a noticeable shift in the financial markets. Reports indicated a downturn in IRCTC’s stock performance during morning trading hours. On the day of the outage, shares recorded a 1% decline, adding to broader losses of approximately 4% over the preceding week and a total 10% loss for the year. This financial fluctuation reflects growing investor concern amidst the challenges facing the digital service.

Advice for Stranded Travelers

Indian Railways and IRCTC advised passengers to stay updated via official communication channels for service resumption. For users needing to process cancellations or file a Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR) during the outage, officials recommended contacting the dedicated customer care lines or emailing their queries to the designated support address.

While service interruptions, even for maintenance, cause broad inconvenience, such actions are deemed necessary to ensure the long-term, seamless operation and reliability of large-scale digital ticketing systems.