Jaipur, July 16 (IANS) Booking train tickets on the IRCTC website is set to become faster and more user-friendly. Indian Railways on Wednesday launched the beta version of the revamped IRCTC ticket booking portal, introducing a cleaner interface, simplified navigation, and several features aimed at improving the booking experience.

The new portal can be accessed through the beta link available on the homepage of the existing IRCTC website. Users are also encouraged to share feedback on the new design, speed, and features before the platform is rolled out nationwide.

The redesign follows a commitment made by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during an interaction with students at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur. Students highlighted several pain points with the existing website, including its outdated interface, complicated booking process, and poor user experience. Taking their suggestions on board, the Ministry initiated a complete redesign of the portal, with MNIT students contributing to the development process. The revamped portal introduces several improvements to make ticket booking quicker and more convenient.

The upgraded IRCTC platform introduces several user-friendly improvements aimed at making train ticket booking faster and more convenient.

The new interface simplifies the booking process with a cleaner, mobile-friendly design and improved navigation. It also eliminates the need for repeated CAPTCHA verification during bookings, allowing users to complete transactions more quickly.

Passengers can now check seat availability across different travel classes more easily without repeatedly changing search options.

The portal also offers faster loading speeds and smoother overall performance. As part of the beta rollout, users can submit feedback and suggestions directly through the platform, helping IRCTC refine the service before its final public launch.

According to IRCTC, the beta version has been released to gather real-time feedback from users. Inputs on usability, design, and performance will be incorporated before the final version is officially launched.

Alongside the website redesign, IRCTC is upgrading its Passenger Reservation System (PRS) — the backend engine that powers ticket bookings across IRCTC and other railway booking platforms. The modernisation has been carried out without disrupting existing services.

Once the upgraded reservation engine is fully operational, the new IRCTC portal will be launched for all users in the coming weeks.

Launched in 2002, the IRCTC website now handles an average of 1.45 million ticket bookings daily. The latest upgrade is aimed at improving system performance and ensuring seamless booking even during peak demand periods such as Tatkal bookings and festive seasons.

The earlier IRCTC portal frequently drew complaints from users over repeated CAPTCHA verification during booking, complicated multi-step booking process, difficulty checking seat availability across classes, re-entering passenger details for every booking and slow performance and crashes during Tatkal bookings and festivals.

The redesigned beta portal seeks to address these issues by offering a faster, more intuitive, and user-friendly booking experience. Once user feedback is incorporated, the upgraded platform is expected to replace the existing website in the coming weeks.

–IANS

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