'IRCTC not working': Train ticket booking users flood social media with 'unable to process request', say new website is 'worse than before'

Train ticket booking on the IRCTC website and mobile app became a frustrating exercise for several users on Thursday and Friday, with passengers taking to social media to complain about repeated errors, slow loading and booking failures. The complaints were particularly prominent around the morning booking rush. Several users said they had been trying to book tickets since 8 am but could not get past the booking process before seats disappeared. The issue was also reflected on Downdetector, with users reporting issues across the app, ticketing and website. However, IRCTC has not issues any official statement about the outage or whether the site is facing any technical issue or not.

Meanwhile, the difficulty in bookings may also be related to festival-season train bookings, particularly at this time of the year, when thousands of travellers try to book tickets for their festival journeys, potentially overwhelming IRCTC's servers. Indian Railways recorded its highest-ever daily passenger bookings, with 22.26 lakh tickets booked in a single day through the reservation system on September 7

'Unable to Process Request' leaves passengers frustrated

One of the most common complaints from users was the appearance of the “Unable to Process Request” message while attempting to book tickets. “Though overhauled, still unresponsive. Same issue persists. Trying to book ticket since 8:00 am,” one user wrote on social media.



Another passenger described the experience as “extremely frustrating”, saying the IRCTC system repeatedly displayed the error while the available ticket quota was booked within minutes.


“While trying to book a ticket today, IRCTC repeatedly showed ‘Unable to Process Request’ errors. Within minutes, the entire ticket quota was booked,” the user said, while questioning whether genuine passengers were getting a fair opportunity to book.


The user also called for an investigation into possible bot or agent misuse. Such allegations, however, remain claims made by users and have not been independently established.

'How did every train become Regret?'

For some passengers, the biggest frustration was not simply the error message but the speed at which trains moved to unavailable or regret status. “I woke up 8am to see this and after a while automatically each train has Regret on it. How come after constant loading I didn't even get a chance,” another user posted.


A separate passenger said the website displayed an “experiencing system overload” message and blocked the booking process at a crucial time. “First few minutes are very critical,” the user wrote.

New IRCTC website faces fresh criticism

The latest complaints come after IRCTC introduced an overhauled website aimed at providing a cleaner interface and a simpler booking experience. The beta version of the redesigned IRCTC website was launched in July 2026. The Railway Ministry said the new version was intended to improve the user experience, with changes including a cleaner interface and fewer unnecessary CAPTCHAs. IRCTC handles an average of around 14.5 lakh tickets a day, according to the ministry.


But some passengers now say the redesign has not solved the underlying booking problems.

“Hey IRCTC team, can I know what setting is done at server. When every time during normal booking and Tatkal booking, IRCTC, RailOne page does not open. It opens for public at regret msg. How people get tkt? Its better to withdraw app,” one frustrated user wrote. The complaints have also extended to the mobile application.


“What happened to IRCTC mobile app, it's not at all working?” another passenger asked, while also questioning the change in the advance booking period. The official IRCTC Rail Connect app listing describes the application as an upgraded platform and lists features such as simplified biometric login, unified payment options and a single view of class availability. The app was updated earlier this month.

Downdetector shows users reporting problems

Downdetector's IRCTC page was showing possible problems, with app, ticketing and website-related issues among the categories being reported by users. The platform does not itself establish the technical cause of an outage, but a rise in user reports can indicate that a service is experiencing difficulties.

Why IRCTC booking becomes difficult during peak demand

The problem is particularly noticeable when large numbers of passengers attempt to access the reservation system at almost exactly the same time. The issues may also be related to festival-season train bookings, particularly at this time of the year, when thousands of travellers try to book tickets for their festival journeys, potentially overwhelming IRCTC's servers.


IRCTC has not been quoted here as confirming a specific cause for the latest complaints.