IRCTC Launches New Website With Faster Ticket Booking, No Ads, and Seat Selection Coming Soon

Booking train tickets on IRCTC just became a lot less frustrating. The revamped website has gone live with a cleaner design, quicker response times, and a much larger booking capacity aimed at handling peak demand.

For millions of Indian travellers racing to secure Tatkal tickets or holiday reservations, the upgrade could make a real difference.

Faster Website, No Ads, No CAPTCHAs

The redesigned IRCTC website removes several long-standing pain points. Users will now find:

• No advertisements cluttering the booking process
• No pop-ups interrupting navigation
• No CAPTCHA checks during regular browsing
• Faster page loading and smoother navigation

The platform can now process up to 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute, up sharply from the earlier 32,000 bookings per minute. That means better chances of completing reservations during high-demand booking windows.

PNR and Train Status Checks Get a Massive Boost

The backend upgrade also improves train enquiry services. IRCTC says the platform can now process over 40 lakh PNR and train status enquiries per minute, compared to around 4 lakh per minute earlier. Frequent travellers checking live train updates should notice quicker responses, especially during busy travel periods.

How to Access the New IRCTC Website

Travellers can try the new IRCTC beta website in either of these ways:

• Visit the beta portal directly: Open https://www.irctc.co.in/eticket/ in your browser.
• Use the existing IRCTC website: Visit the current IRCTC homepage and click the “Beta Version” link displayed on the site to switch to the new interface.

When Will the New IRCTC Website Launch Officially?

The beta website is currently available for users to test, but the full rollout will happen after Indian Railways completes integration with its new Passenger Reservation System (PRS). This upgraded reservation engine powers ticket bookings not only on IRCTC but also across other authorised railway booking platforms.

Once the migration is complete and the new reservation system is fully operational, the redesigned IRCTC website is expected to replace the existing portal in the coming weeks.

New Features Coming Soon

IRCTC has also confirmed that more traveller-friendly features are on the way, including:

• Preferred seat or berth selection during ticket booking.
• Fare Calendar to compare ticket prices across different travel dates, similar to airline booking platforms.

These additions could give passengers greater control over their bookings while making it easier to identify lower fares.

One trend is becoming hard to miss. Rail booking platforms are steadily borrowing features from airline websites as passenger expectations continue to rise.

What This Means for Indian Travellers

Indian train passengers, particularly those booking from busy cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, stand to benefit the most during peak booking hours.

If the new infrastructure performs consistently under Tatkal demand, it could reduce failed transactions and improve the overall booking experience.

Travelobiz Take

We think this is one of the most practical IRCTC upgrades in years. If the promised speed and upcoming features work reliably, booking train tickets should become far less stressful for travellers.