IRCTC clocks in on ticket bookings ahead of the festive rush; Daily volume crosses the 20 thousand million mark for the first time: Report | Today’s news
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) recorded its highest ever one-day ticket sales on September 7, crossing the 20 million mark for the first time due to a surge in demand ahead of the upcoming festive season.
According to an NDTV report, a total of 20,06,353 tickets were booked on September 7, an all-time record for the official railway platform.
On September 8, booking momentum remained elevated, with 19,50,699 tickets booked, a 6% increase over last year’s gala single-day peak of 18,40,203 tickets, the report said.
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The performance of the improved infrastructure has skyrocketed
About 89% of all railway tickets booked are now booked online, IRCTC said.
To handle the heavy holiday rush and avoid platform crashes, the official train ticket booking platform has deployed new servers and almost doubled the capacity of its online booking system.
On 15 July 2026, IRCTC launched a new website and user interface that allows passengers to check seat availability in different travel classes simultaneously on a single screen, simplifying the user experience during high demand booking windows.
Despite handling unprecedented booking volumes, IRCTC did not experience any major glitches or service outages, NDTV reported.
Strict restrictions on bots and fraudulent accounts
The rail ticketing platform, NDTV reported, has also stepped up enforcement against unauthorized ticket sellers and automated bots that tamper with inventory during peak hours.
According to IRCTC, the implementation of its advanced anti-bot system has reduced suspicious automated traffic by 55% to 65%.
To ensure fair access for genuine passengers, the ticket booking platform has banned authorized ticket sellers from booking tickets during the critical first 10 minutes after bookings open, namely between 8:00am and 8:10am.
Aadhaar verification has also been made mandatory for individual users booking tickets once the booking window opens.
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Account cleanup
As part of a large-scale audit against fraudulent activities, IRCTC has deactivated 3.04 million user accounts and flagged another 6.33 million IDs for mandatory re-verification, NDTV reported.
Third-party platforms handle 28% of online rail ticket bookings
Third-party digital platforms, including Paytm, MakeMyTrip, ixigo and ConfirmTkt, account for nearly 28% of all online rail tickets booked in India, according to IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director Rahul Himalian.
In an interview, Himalian said that of the 18 to 19 million tickets issued daily, around 89% — roughly 14.88 to 15 million — are booked online through IRCTC.
While IRCTC’s proprietary platforms handle the vast majority of digital transactions, third-party distribution channels have a substantial minority share:
- IRCTC Rail Connect app: 53% online bookings
- Third-party business partners: 28% of online bookings
- IRCTC Official Website: 17% Online Bookings
- Government measures: About 2%
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Elaborating on the distribution network, Himalian said, “28% is through business partners through B2C, B2B, ICS platform, be it MakeMyTrip, Paytm, ixigo, ConfirmTkt.”
IRCTC did not disclose the breakdown by platform in the private channel, so 28% represents the aggregate volume of all authorized trading partners. Nevertheless, the numbers place platforms like Paytm and MakeMyTrip in the essential, high-frequency distribution layer for Indian travel.
