IRCTC improved, finally !

[dashing.sujay]

Well, how quick do you remember booking a tatkal ticket on IRCTC ? Been booking for years, I get to book every now and then a tatkal ticket, every week (coincidentally), so my experience said anything below 10:10 was very good; luck was on your side.

But yesterday, I booked one at 10:05. Saw that IRCTC had introduced a new site which was very very fast (same as TDF or any normal site), that too at the time of peak load (tatkal hours).

And today, I booked a ticket at 10:02. I wasn't believing my eyes.

Many other people are having same experience, so it pretty much says that I wasn't lucky. IRCTC has really done something. Great.

Achche din ?

PS: A down side of this is the people queuing overnight at station counters will be easily outperformed by the e prowess, which I have always admitted is not good for majority. I'm not saying that IRCTC shouldn't have improved, but this good wasn't required. A balance has to be made between load of the server and the respective allotment of the tickets to cater both groups.

 

[Hrishi]

Oh...really ???? I will give it a try then... This is like a surprise.
This was desperately needed.

 

[sujoyp]

yaah its much better...I have visited 3 time in last one week and its quick enough

 

[whitestar_999]

is this really true?i never booked tatkal ticket but the last few times(in april & may) i tried irctc site ~10:30AM it was slow so i automatically assumed tatkal ticket chance is very low.for normal tickets i agree site opens faster than before.

 

[sling-shot]

Link please.

 

[hsr]

In my personal opinion, the tatkal system should not exist in the first place. Sure, it serves as the last minute option for the many but is it really the case?
I've had the joy of travelling in general to Bangalore because the tatkal queue was too long. The frustration of people is immense I tell you. Everyone on that queue said this "If only the site loaded faster, I'd have never been here".

 

[arijitsinha]

Yeah.. just today, my friend tried to open irctc, at 10:30.. I laughed, it is not even possible to login at this time. but my surprise, it was logged in and Searching train was smooth.

I could not proceed further due to the stupid irctc restriction, 2 Taatkal ticket from same IP during 10-12 A.M (I was trying from office). But it is really fast now. May be all the people got frustrated and left booking from irctc..

 

[dashing.sujay]

Link please.

What for ? This is not a news.

In my personal opinion, the tatkal system should not exist in the first place. Sure, it serves as the last minute option for the many but is it really the case?
I've had the joy of travelling in general to Bangalore because the tatkal queue was too long. The frustration of people is immense I tell you. Everyone on that queue said this "If only the site loaded faster, I'd have never been here".

You contradict yourself. Tatkal is a boon for last minute travellers. Most of the plan is execeuted normally within a week or max 10 days, and then you find out that there are no tickets available. Tatkal kicks in there. It's a life saver.

Problem is our population. No matter how much trains you introduce, how much boggies you attach, they will still be full upto the brim. So the urgent travellers will always find themselves no where to go.

And for frustration, if 2 lakh people on any day rant about site being slower, then 10 lakh people also rant about queue being longer & longer and, slower.

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For people doubting, please go ahead and try, but don't blame me when luck kicks your ass

Earlier, to book a tatkal ticket, you had to be logged in before 9:45 or max :50, otherwise you just won't be able to. And once the timer hit 9:59, that moving circle went into an infinite loop with a run time error.

 

[hsr]

See, what I meant is tatkal system is not what we should have imo, just a single waiting queue. People who book online will be clubbed with people who take tickets from the stations. Introduce a token system that puts both of them in the same list and we have a solution?

 

[TheSloth]

[MENTION=22610]hsr[/MENTION]: If person is cripple and his/her home is far from railway station then ebooking comes to use.

 

[mastercool8695]

this might give a solution : only a part of the Tickets are available online.

Can we book tatkal via phone ?
that would have been better for people living in remote areas , far away from tatkal booking stations.

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checked the website, it hasn't changed its the same one
BTW, I checked only the interface.

 

[ravi847]

The website has a special version which shows up only when you try to open the site during the tatkal hours..
People who wish to book tatkal ticket should use that e-wallet option and transfer some money in it so that your transaction is fast.
The ticket is not booked until the transaction is completed and Irctc has processed it.

 

[kaz]

[MENTION=22610]hsr[/MENTION]: If person is cripple and his/her home is far from railway station then ebooking comes to use.

hehe I have never visited a booking counter...And believe me for the past 4years I would have booked around 50tickets actually more than that

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Cross checked 15 tickets since 3rd April'14 only

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BTW new site is cool and fast..Wasn't there 3-4 days ago....

 

[Vignesh B]

Wow, mission accomplished. Bought a tatkal ticket by 10:05am. And probably I was the last one to get the ticket as there was a single ticket remaining when the payment stage had reached. IRCTC does seem to be improved by leaps and bounds.
Today, morning only me and my Dad were discussing on how to get a ticket, as here the queue for tatkal seem to start 2 days before only! That is to book on 6th, you need to stand in the queue from 4th night only.
Read this thread in the morning, told my Dad to lets give a try. We don't have anything to lose.
I don't usually use IRCTC to book tatkal except when its on some low traffic route and is off-season. The main reason being that the tickets gets over by 10:05 or maximum 10:10 in the routes that I need to travel and the queue is not so long in the counter inside the campus(except days like today - holidays+ counselling) and IRCTC doesn't budge until 11am.

 

[kaz]

Wow, mission accomplished. Bought a tatkal ticket by 10:05am. And probably I was the last one to get the ticket as there was a single ticket remaining when the payment stage had reached. IRCTC does seem to be improved by leaps and bounds.

Congrats

Today, morning only me and my Dad were discussing on how to get a ticket, as here the queue for tatkal seem to start 2 days before only! That is to book on 6th, you need to stand in the queue from 4th night only.

What? Who does that? Why don't they start travelling on foot since then

 

[Vignesh B]

What? Who does that? Why don't they start travelling on foot since then

Usually its students who come to the counter inside the campus. And plenty of them are from far off places.
You need to stand in queue for 2 days + 2-3 days travel. almost a week gone!
Air travel is good but only if your luggage is sparse.

 

[kaz]

Usually its students who come to the counter inside the campus. And plenty of them are from far off places.
You need to stand in queue for 2 days + 2-3 days travel. almost a week gone!
Air travel is good but only if your luggage is sparse.

Here at my place I have heard people sleep in queue outside the counter a night before...But 2 days in queue its horrible...

 

[whitestar_999]

here(UP) people hire other people to stand in tatkal queue & change place when hired person reach counter after spending a day or night.now railway officials are installing cameras to take pictures of people in queue to stop this practice.

 

[kaz]

here(UP) people hire other people to stand in tatkal queue & change place when hired person reach counter after spending a day or night.now railway officials are installing cameras to take pictures of people in queue to stop this practice.

What's the problem? A poor will earn his bread and butter standing in the queue... Instead they should not allow any queue before a certain time in the morning...

 

[arijitsinha]

The website has a special version which shows up only when you try to open the site during the tatkal hours..
People who wish to book tatkal ticket should use that e-wallet option and transfer some money in it so that your transaction is fast.
The ticket is not booked until the transaction is completed and Irctc has processed it.

eWallet is not available for tatkal booking.