The IRCTC website and mobile application experienced significant technical disruptions on April 18, 2026, during the peak Tatkal booking hours. Passengers reported severe issues including constant buffering and failed transactions right when the non-AC booking window opened at 11 AM. Many users shared their frustration on social media platforms after being unable to book tickets despite money being deducted from their bank accounts.
Major issues faced by passengers during booking
Users across the country reported that the IRCTC platform became unresponsive exactly at 11 AM when the non-AC Tatkal quota opened. The most common complaints included endless buffering screens, session timeouts, and error messages during the payment process. In several instances, passengers found that their money was debited without the generation of a confirmed ticket. This technical glitch caused widespread dissatisfaction among travelers who rely on the Tatkal system for urgent travel needs.
Official response and solutions provided by IRCTC
IRCTC addressed the complaints by classifying the incident as a temporary technical issue. The authorities suggested that connection problems could arise due to various factors like network stability, service load, or device connectivity. To help affected users, IRCTC recommended the following steps:
- Log out of the account and close the application completely
- Restart the IRCTC Rail Connect app for a fresh session
- Ensure that the latest version of the mobile app is being used
- Verify network strength before initiating the booking process
While the technical team worked to restore full services, many users on platform X continued to express concern over the recurring nature of such system failures during peak hours.