IRCTC Website Down After Outage At Delhi’s NIC Data Centre

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and application were down yesterday on New Year’s Eve, for the third time in December. Users on the platform reported facing trouble booking tatkaal tickets from the website. Know more about the issue and alternatives to the IRCTC websites/app. 

IRCTC Website Outage

On 31st December 2025, the official website of IRCTC experienced a severe outage issue, which disrupted tatkaal ticket booking for many users during morning rush hours. The users just received an error message saying that they won’t be able to book or cancel their tickets for the next hour. It was later revealed that several government websites were down after a power disruption at the data centre of the National Informatic Centre (NIC). 

This marks the third time in a month that the IRCTC website has been down. It previously stopped working on December 26th, when the website stopped working for one-and-a-half hours. This stirred frustration among users when they were trying to book tatkaal tickets, which are available for booking a day before the journey. 

Users Show Anger on Social Media

Many IRCTC users expressed their anger on social media platforms when both IRCTC’s website and app went down. They questioned the reliability of the services given the frequent outages faced by them in the month. They claimed that only tatkaal tickets were available after the services were restored. 

Top Alternatives To Use Amid IRCTC Outages

Booking and cancelling tickets remain a challenge for the public when the IRCTC website is down. Following are the top alternatives available to users in regard to their ticket issues:-

• A passenger can visit the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters to book offline tickets. They are usually open from 8 AM to 8 PM on weekdays, including Saturdays, and from 8 AM to 2 PM on Sundays.
• Users can download the IRCTC Rail Connect Application from Apple Store (for iOS users) and Google Play Store (for Android users) to book tickets.
• They can visit authorised travel agents available nearby and provide their details for booking tickets.
• Tickets can also be booked at select post offices which offer these services.
• Users can also book tickets from third-party service providers like MakeMyTrip, RailYatri, Paytm, RedBus, etc., which are linked to the IRCTC app.
• For cancellations, they need to file a Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR). The passengers can email their queries to etickets@irctc.co.in or call the customer care helpline numbers at 14646, 08044647999 or 08035734999.