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IRCTC leaves thousands in chaos with 'unable to perform action due to maintenance activity'

by VARINDIA 2024-12-26

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) faced a major disruption today as both its website and mobile application experienced outages, leaving thousands of users unable to access key services.

There were 1,833 reports of the site being down as of 10.30 am on Downdetector, a website which tracks such types of outages. According to reports, the website as well as the mobile application of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) went down starting today morning. An 'unable to perform action due to maintenance activity' error can be seen when opening the app and “Due to maintenance activity, e-ticketing service will not be available. Please try later” message can be seen in the website, labelled a “Downtime Message.”

The outage began early in the morning, leaving users unable to access essential services such as train ticket bookings, cancellations, and inquiries. This disruption caused widespread inconvenience, as IRCTC’s digital platforms are heavily relied upon by travelers and tour operators alike. Many users took to social media to express frustration, sharing screenshots of error messages and seeking updates on when the service might be restored.

The IRCTC website and app, which handle millions of transactions daily, are critical for booking train tickets, managing reservations, checking train schedules, and availing other railway-related services. The outage caused widespread inconvenience for passengers who rely on the platform for their travel plans, particularly during the ongoing holiday season when demand for train services is exceptionally high.

Users took to social media to voice their frustration, with many sharing screenshots of error messages and failed transactions. Some speculated on the possible causes of the downtime, including technical glitches or increased server load due to a surge in traffic.

Downdetector’s outage map revealed that the issues were widespread, with reports concentrated in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata. Smaller towns and rural areas also faced challenges, indicating a nationwide disruption. The IRCTC team acknowledged the issue and stated that technical teams were working on resolving the problem.

A spokesperson for the organization assured users that services would be restored as soon as possible and apologized for the inconvenience caused. However, no specific timeline for the resolution was provided at the time of reporting. This outage serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by large-scale digital platforms in managing high volumes of users and the importance of continuous investment in technology to ensure seamless service delivery.