Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is an Indianpublic sector undertaking that provides ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the state-owned Indian Railways. It was established in 1999 by the Government of India and operated under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways. In 2019, it was listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange with the Government holding a 67% ownership. As of December 2023, there are 66 million registered users with IRCTC with a daily average of 7.31 lakh tickets booked.
History
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was established on 27 September 1999, as a public sector undertaking completely owned by the Government of India through the Indian Railways.[3] In May 2008, it was classed as a Miniratna public corporation, which allowed it a certain degree of financial autonomy.[3] The company was listed on the National Stock Exchange in 2019, following which the Government of India's holding was reduced to 87%, with the remaining shares being publicly traded.[4][5] In December 2020, the Government of India divested another 20%, reducing its holding in the IRCTC to 67%.[6][7][8]
Services
Ticketing and information
Online ticketing for Indian Railways was introduced on 3 August 2002 through IRCTC.[9] IRCTC provides multiple channels for passengers to book tickets through website, smartphone apps and SMS. For Electronic tickets (e-tickets) booked online, IRCTC issues an electronic ticket with a reference PNR on a successful booking.[10] Electronic tickets can be used for travel along with a valid photo identification and cancellation can be done online.[10][11] For Internet tickets (I-tickets), while the booking is done online, physical tickets are sent to the customer through post.[10] IRCTC provides train and ticketing related information to passengers through SMS.[12] As of December 2023, there are 66 million registered users with IRCTC with a daily average of 7.31 lakh tickets booked.[2]
Reserved tickets may be booked up to 120 days in advance and confirmed reservation tickets will show the passenger and fare details along with berth or seat number(s) allocated to them on the ticket. In case of no confirmed reservation, a wait-list number is assigned and wait-listed tickets get confirmed if there are cancellations of already reserved tickets. Reservation against cancellation tickets is an intermediate category between the waiting and confirmed lists in sleeper classes which allows a ticket holder to board the train and share a berth.[13] Reserved tickets can be booked by passengers who want to travel at short notice at higher fares through the Tatkal train ticket, where no refund is applicable on cancellation.[14]
In 2011, IRCTC launched a loyalty program called Shubh Yatra for frequent travelers wherein passengers could avail discounts on all tickets by paying an upfront annual subscription fee.[15] In 2012, IRCTC introduced the Rolling Deposit Scheme (RDS), a type urof closed wallet wherein customers can book tickets using money already deposited.[16] In 2013, flight and hotel booking services were added as a part of online reservation services.[17] In 2016, IRCTC launched a lighter version of its website to enable booking at low speed internet connections.[18] On 7 August 2019, IRCTC launched a payment wallet named iMudra.[19][20]On 11 August 2021, IRCTC introduced a smart card system through which unreserved train tickets which can be bought either at railway stations or online.[21]
A food plaza run by IRCTC
Catering and hospitality
IRCTC has exclusive rights for onboard catering of food on all trains operated by the Indian Railways. Pantry cars are attached to long and medium distance trains, where food may be prepared onboard or pre-cooked meals can be served depending on the type of the train and the accommodation class.[22] IRCTC also operates food plazas, cafeterias and refreshment rooms at various railway stations.[23] In 2014, IRCTC launched e-catering services which allowed passengers to order food from private restaurants online or through phone and have it delivered to their seats.[24][25] IRCTC also manages air-conditioned waiting lounges, retiring rooms and budget hotels at major railway stations.[26][27][28] IRCTC launched a bottled water brand "Rail Neer" in 2003, which is sold on trains and railway stations.[29][30][31]
IRCTC operates luxury trains such as Maharajas' Express, Deccan Odyssey and other special tourist trains with varied classes.[32] These may include standard coaches, regular coaches with modifications and specially designed coaches with coupes, dedicated cabins and suites.[33] It also organizes package tours for domestic and foreign tourists.[34]
In 2016, Maharashtra Police reported a potential leak of personal information relating to 10 million users registered with IRCTC.[39] IRCTC denied the leak and set up a committee consisting of officials from the IRCTC and Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to examine the report.[40][41][42][43] An IRCTC official quoted that the data with IRCTC was safe and some data shared with third parties, including hotel, taxi, and food delivery services have been exposed.[44] In 2018, a security researcher reported that a free travel insurance scheme offered by IRCTC, which caused users on their app to be redirected to a third party insurer, had left the information of approximately 2 lakh passengers exposed for two years.[45][46] IRCTC discontinued the insurance scheme and fixed the vulnerability that had left this data exposed.[47] In October 2020, passenger data of more than 9 lakh individuals surfaced in dark web with IRCTC denying the leak.[48] In the same month, IRCTC announced that it would be sharing passenger data with other public and private corporations with whom it worked.[49] In 2020, then Railway MinisterPiyush Goyal stated that the government was exploring opportunities to monetize the passenger data stored with IRCTC.[50][51]
In May 2020, the IRCTC made Aarogya Setu, an app launched by Government of India to track Covid-19 mandatory for train travel, amidst concerns about the safety of data stored with the app.[52][53] A government official later clarified that downloading the app was optional and not mandatory at the Karnataka High Court.[54]
During the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests, IRCTC officials used passenger e-mail data that had been provided to them to book tickets, in order to email pamphlets promoting Government welfare schemes and policies to Sikhs from Punjab.[55] IRCTC officials denied that e-mails were selectively targeted at members of the Sikh community.[56][57]
₹3,541 crore (US$440 million) (FY23)[1]
