Railways bars agents from booking tickets on the first hour

To provide greater access to IRCTC website for the ordinary users, the ministry of railways has barred travel agents, web-service agents/web agents of IRCTC from accessing the website from 8 am to 9 am.

The move is aimed at removing the difficulties faced by ordinary users in accessing the IRCTC website for booking `Tatkal' tickets and ordinary tickets over the internet in the first hour of the booking on the opening day, an official release said today.

Under this decision, which is expected to provide increased accessibility of the IRCTC website to the ordinary users, Railways has issued the following instructions:

a) Travel agents/web-services agents/web agents of IRCTC will not be given access to `Tatkal' booking, through e-ticketing on all days between 8 am and 9 am.

b) Travel agents/web-services agents/web agents of IRCTC will not be given access, through e-ticketing, to trains defined in the system on their respective opening day of advance reservation period (ARP), between 8 am and 9 am.

This measure was announced in the wake of a numerous complaints regarding IRCTC website not becoming accessible to common users at the time of the commencement of the Railway reservation booking in the morning, making it difficult to book e-ticket and Tatkal on-line.

In addition, the Railways has also launched a drive for a period of one fortnight at all major reservation offices to conduct special checks between 7.30 am and 9 am to prevent touts/unscrupulous elements from cornering the seats/berths in the first hour of the opening day of the advance reservation period.

The above measures have been taken to take care of the interests of the ordinary passengers in respect of ticket booking - both on-line as well as at the counters - and to make sure that berths/seats are not cornered by the touts/unscrupulous elements, the release said.