IRCTC Sets New Record With Over 20 Lakh Train Tickets Booked in a Day

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has achieved a new milestone by successfully booking more than 20 lakh train tickets through its website in a single day.

The IRCTC website has become a popular option for passengers booking train tickets as it eliminates the need to visit railway station ticket counters and wait in long queues. Passengers can conveniently book tickets through the IRCTC website or mobile application from wherever they are.

Train travel generally sees a significant increase during festival seasons compared to normal days. During these periods, many passengers rely on the IRCTC platform to reserve tickets for journeys to their hometowns.

Diwali Ticket Bookings

This year, Diwali will be celebrated on November 8, 2026 (Sunday). The 60-day advance booking for Diwali journeys began on September 5, leading to heavy demand from passengers planning to travel to their hometowns.

As a result, 20,06,353 tickets were successfully booked through the IRCTC website on September 7 alone, setting a new record.

Historic Milestone for IRCTC

Crossing the 20-lakh mark in a single day has created a new record in IRCTC`s history for online railway ticket bookings.

The previous record was set during the festive season on August 19, 2025, when around 18.40 lakh tickets were booked.

Similarly, approximately 19,50,699 tickets were booked on September 8. This was around 6% higher than the corresponding festive-season booking figure recorded last year.

IRCTC Upgrades Its Servers

According to IRCTC data, between 8 AM and 9 AM, the first hour after advance reservations open, only around 8.43% to 14.14% of the day`s total ticket bookings take place.

The fastest booking activity is generally seen during the first 15 minutes, between 8 AM and 8:15 AM. More than 85% of the remaining tickets are booked gradually during the subsequent hours of the day.

To handle heavy traffic and meet growing user demand, IRCTC has upgraded its technical infrastructure. New servers have been deployed, reportedly doubling the system`s performance and speed.

Despite the exceptionally high volume of bookings, the website did not experience any major technical issues or outages.

Action Against Illegal Ticket Booking

IRCTC has also taken strict action against illegal ticket-booking activities to ensure that passengers can access tickets without disruption.

As a result of these measures, fake online bookings have reportedly declined by 55% to 65%.

Authorised agents have also been prohibited from booking tickets during t the first 10 minutes after reservations open, from 8 AM to 8:10 AM.

As part of its crackdown, around 3.04 crore fake user accounts have been blocked, while 6.33 crore accounts have been subjected to re-verification.

IRCTC officials said that around 89% of all reserved train tickets in India are currently booked online, highlighting the growing dependence on digital railway ticket-booking services.