IRCTC Down: How to Get Refund When Payment Is Stuck

IRCTC website down? Learn how to get a refund if your payment is stuck after ticket booking.

Mumbai, Oct 17, 2025 — Thousands of railway passengers faced major trouble on Friday as the IRCTC website and app went down during the Diwali ticket booking rush. Many users reported that their payments were deducted but tickets were not confirmed. Social media and complaint forums were flooded with messages from frustrated travelers trying to secure Tatkal tickets for the festive season.

According to user reports, the IRCTC portal showed repeated “Server Unavailable” errors and crashed multiple times throughout the morning. On Downdetector, over five thousand users logged outage complaints within a few hours. The disruption hit hardest between 9 a.m. and noon, the most active booking window of the day.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation later confirmed that technical issues caused the temporary outage. Officials said the system was overloaded due to unusually high traffic as travelers rushed to book last-minute tickets. While the website is now slowly recovering, many users still have pending payment issues.

For those whose money was deducted but tickets were not issued, IRCTC has assured that refunds are automatically processed within three to five working days. The amount is credited back to the same payment method used during booking. In rare cases, the refund period may extend up to twenty-one days, depending on the payment gateway and bank involved.

Passengers who do not receive the refund within that time can email IRCTC at care@irctc.co.in with transaction details and a screenshot of the failed booking. They can also call customer care for further assistance. IRCTC has requested users not to make repeated transactions during the outage period to avoid multiple deductions.

The outage comes at a crucial time, just days before Diwali, when millions of travelers depend on the IRCTC platform to book their tickets home. This is not the first time the portal has experienced issues during festival rush hours. Experts say the system continues to struggle with sudden spikes in user activity, especially during Tatkal booking slots.

Despite the inconvenience, officials have emphasized that all failed transactions are traceable and customers will not lose their money. They also said the technical team is working to stabilize servers and improve capacity for the ongoing festive season.

For now, passengers are advised to check their email or SMS notifications for refund confirmations and avoid multiple booking attempts until the IRCTC site is fully restored. The corporation expects normal service to resume soon.

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