Feature enhanced IRCTC website launched

The Railway Ministry called the updated website a new year gift as it integrated a wide range of services accessible to the travellers on a single platform.

The revamped website allows personalisation based on user login, a common feature in all modern e-commerce sites. While booking train tickets travellers can book other services like meals, retiring rooms and hotels from the website.

“The Railways is committed to serving the nation, and constantly working to augment its services to further improve the rail travel experience. This upgraded e-ticketing platform for booking of online railway tickets, will enhance passenger convenience...IRCTC should continue to work towards constantly improving the website and ensure that it is second to none in the world as per the Digital India mission and vision of the Prime Minister,” Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said.

The ministry is also introducing Artificial Intelligence to provide provide a hassle free experience to the passengers in railway station. The ministry said the AI will now provide predictive entry suggestions to the passengers while entering the railway station, directing them to their platform.

While 'regular' and 'favourite' journeys can be booked easily as the website now provides user personalisation, refunds will also be easier as the users can now track the refund status on the user account page unlike before, the ministry stated.

The website will also provide enhanced booking experience, the ministry said, adding that putting the information on one page will cut down the time spent by the passengers.

“The level of these features will be even more advanced than the ones offered currently by the other ticketing websites. In most websites, the station search entry is still alphabetical, availability status is either not there or old in time. Moreover, the convenience of integrated booking for stay & meal in this upgraded e-ticketing website is unmatched,” the ministry said.

In the upgraded version of the IRCTC website, seat availability as well as fare for each class will be displayed immediately. Earlier, these details could be viewed only after clicking on the trains individually.

Other features include a ‘cache system’ to provide availability status without delays, ‘confirmation probability’  for all waitlisted tickets, and availability for other dates can be checked on the page itself, inbuilt security features by using captchas, prompts to guide users unfamiliar with the website, option to rectify check and rectify, if there are any typographical errors.