The Ministry of Railways on Wednesday launched the beta version of the revamped IRCTC ticket booking website, marking the first major redesign of the platform in more than two decades.
The upgraded website aims to make online train ticket booking simpler, faster and more user-friendly. With a modern interface and several new features, the portal is designed to improve the overall booking experience for millions of railway passengers across India.
New IRCTC Beta Website Goes Live
The beta version of the new IRCTC website became available at 9:00 pm on Wednesday.
Passengers can access the new portal through irctc.co.in/eticket/ or by clicking the beta version link available on the homepage of the existing IRCTC website.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the beta launch will allow users to explore the new platform and share their feedback before the website is officially rolled out for everyone.
Website Redesigned After Student Feedback
The redesigned portal was developed after the Ministry of Railways sought suggestions from students of the Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT).
The feedback was shared during an interaction with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Based on those suggestions, the ministry introduced several improvements aimed at reducing complexity and making ticket booking more convenient.
Key Features of the New IRCTC Website
The new website brings several noticeable changes compared to the older version.
One of the biggest improvements is a cleaner and less cluttered interface. Users will now encounter fewer CAPTCHA verifications, while unnecessary pop-ups and flashing graphics have been removed to make navigation smoother.
Additionally, passengers can now check seat availability across all travel classes on a single screen instead of switching between different pages.
The booking process has also been shortened by reducing the number of steps required to complete a reservation.
Frequent travellers can save passenger details, allowing them to complete future bookings much faster.
Railways Seeks Public Feedback
The Ministry of Railways said the beta version has been launched specifically to collect feedback from users.
“The beta version of the new IRCTC website is being launched today for users to experience the new look and feel of the website and provide feedback on its features,” the ministry said in a statement.
Officials added that user suggestions received during the testing phase will help improve the platform before its nationwide rollout.
Integration With New Reservation System Coming Soon
The ministry also confirmed that the redesigned website will soon be integrated with the new Passenger Reservation Engine, which is currently being upgraded.
Meanwhile, the existing reservation system continues to function normally without affecting train ticket bookings.
According to the ministry, the fully functional version of the new IRCTC website is expected to be launched within the next few weeks. The upgraded Passenger Reservation Engine will also become operational soon.
IRCTC Continues to Handle Millions of Daily Bookings
The IRCTC website was first launched in 2002 and has served as India’s primary online railway ticket booking platform ever since.
Today, it processes an average of nearly 14.5 lakh ticket bookings every day, making it one of the country’s busiest digital public service platforms.
With the latest redesign, the Ministry of Railways hopes to provide a faster, smoother and more convenient booking experience for passengers across the country.