RAILWAYS PROVIDE INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY TO IRCTC WEBSITE FOR COMMON USERS TRAVEL AGENTS/WEB AGENTS BARRED FROM BOOKING ON-LINE TRAIN TICKETS FROM 8 AM TO 9AM

In a significant initiative to remove the difficulties faced by ordinary common users

in accessing the IRCTC website for booking Tatkal tickets and ordinary tickets over

internet in the first hour of the booking on the opening day, the Ministry of

Railways has decided to bar travel agents, web-service agents/web agents of

IRCTC from accessing the website during that period.



Under this decision, which is expected to provide increased accessibility of the

IRCTC website to the ordinary users, following instructions have come into

operation:-



a) Travel agents/web-services agents/web agents of IRCTC will not be given access

to Tatkal booking, through e-ticketing on all days between 8 A.M. to 9 A.M.



b) Travel agents/web-services agents/web agents of IRCTC will not be given

access, through e-ticketing, to trains defined in the system on their respective

opening day of Advance Reservation Period (ARP), between 8 A.M. to 9 A.M.



This passenger friendly measure comes in the wake of a large number of

complaints regarding IRCTC website not becoming accessible to common users at

the time of the commencement of the Railway reservation booking in the morning,

making it difficult to book e-ticket and Tatkal on-line.



In addition, a drive has also been launched for a period of one fortnight at all major

reservation offices to conduct special checks between 7.30 A.M. to 9 A.M. to

prevent touts/unscrupulous elements from cornering the seats/berths in the first

hour of the opening day of the advance reservation period.



The above measures have been taken to take care of the interests of the ordinary

passengers in respect of ticket booking both on-line as well as at the counters and

to make sure that berths/seats are not cornered by the touts / unscrupulous

elements.

SOURCE;IRTSA