IRCTC (irctc.co.in)
India's official railway e-ticketing and travel services portal.
IRCTC at a glance
IRCTC is a travel website and one of the most visited sites in India, currently ranked #3 in the country. It was founded in 1999 by Government of India / Ministry of Railways and is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Today IRCTC is owned by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd.. Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 300 million visits per month. The business earns money mainly through convenience fees on train ticket bookings, catering and food delivery services (e-catering), tourism packages and hotel bookings. Its closest rivals include MakeMyTrip, Paytm Travel, ixigo, Yatra.
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 290 million / month | +2% |
| Q2 | ≈ 300 million / month | +3% |
| Q3 | ≈ 320 million / month | +7% |
| Q4 | ≈ 300 million / month | -6% |
Traffic sources
- Direct / app60%
Habitual bookers navigate directly
- Organic search28%
- Referral6%
- Paid & other6%
Audience & demographics
- Men66%
- Women34%
- Age 18-2418%
- Age 25-3435%
- Age 35-5434%
- Age 55+13%
Users span virtually all socioeconomic segments in India given the near-universal use of rail travel, with especially heavy demand during festival and holiday seasons.
Geographic reach
- India99%
- Other (NRI bookings)1%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- Route, PNR status and Tatkal-related terms
- Estimated organic traffic
- ≈ 80 million visits / month
- Strongest clusters
- PNR status check, train schedules, Tatkal booking
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| irctc | 1 | Very high | — |
| pnr status | 1 | Very high | — |
| train ticket booking | 1 | High | — |
| tatkal booking | 1 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- ≈ 100,000+
- Link profile
- Strong government and travel-portal citations
Top referral sources
- Direct / app50%
- Google Search35%
- Third-party travel aggregators10%
- Other5%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
IRCTC's booking infrastructure is engineered to process extremely high concurrent transaction volumes during Tatkal booking windows, historically one of the most demanding real-time systems in India.
Mobile app statistics
- Share of bookings via app
- ≈ 65%+
- Peak concurrent users
- Millions during Tatkal windows
Company information
- Website
- irctc.co.in
- Sector
- Travel
- Owner
- Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd.
- Owner type
- Public sector undertaking (government-controlled, publicly listed)
- Founders
- Government of India / Ministry of Railways
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- New Delhi, India
- Employees
- ≈ 2,000+
- Ownership
- Majority owned by the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) via Indian Railways; minority shares publicly traded on NSE/BSE
- Valuation
- ≈ USD 8-10 billion (public market capitalisation)
- Revenue
- ≈ USD 500 million annually
- Languages
- English and Hindi, with regional language support
- Top traffic sources
- Direct navigation, branded search and mobile app usage
Ownership, investors & funding history
Financials
- Revenue trend
- Consistent growth tied to rail passenger volumes
- Profitability
- Profitable public sector undertaking
- Cost base
- Technology infrastructure, payment gateway fees, catering operations
Business model & revenue
IRCTC holds an exclusive government mandate to sell online train tickets in India, earning convenience fees per transaction alongside revenue from catering, tourism packages and travel insurance.
- Convenience fees on train ticket bookings
- Catering and food delivery services (e-catering)
- Tourism packages and hotel bookings
- Travel insurance commissions
- Advertising on booking platforms
Products & services
Primary train ticket booking application and website.
Food delivery service for train passengers.
Holiday packages, hotel bookings and rail tours.
Digital wallet and payment gateway for railway transactions.
Seller ecosystem
- Catering partners
- Thousands of registered restaurants and vendors
- Travel agents
- Authorised agent network for offline bookings
International presence
- Primary market
- India only
- NRI usage
- Popular among Indian diaspora booking travel for family in India
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Partner APIs
- IRCTC APIs used by authorised travel agents and aggregator platforms
Website rankings
- India travel-site rank
- #1 rail ticketing platform
- Global e-ticketing rank
- Among the highest-volume ticketing systems worldwide
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MakeMyTrip | ≈ 60M/month | — | Broader OTA competitor, does not book rail directly without IRCTC |
| ixigo | ≈ 40M/month | — | Travel aggregator reselling IRCTC bookings |
Overview
IRCTC is the official ticketing arm of Indian Railways, operating the country's exclusive online platform for train ticket bookings. It has grown into one of the highest-transaction-volume e-ticketing systems in the world.
Traffic Statistics
IRCTC receives an estimated 300 million monthly visits, with daily online ticket bookings reaching 1.5-2 million during normal periods and far higher during festival travel seasons.
Traffic Sources
Most visitors navigate directly to the site or app out of habit, while branded organic search terms like "irctc login" and "pnr status" also drive significant volume.
Audience & Demographics
IRCTC's user base spans nearly all Indian demographics given rail travel's universal reach, with a slight skew toward men aged 25-54.
Geographic Reach
Usage is almost entirely domestic to India, with a small share of bookings made by the Indian diaspora abroad for family travel.
SEO Profile
IRCTC dominates search results for railway-related queries, particularly PNR status checks, Tatkal booking and train schedule searches.
Technology Stack
The platform runs on a Java-based enterprise backend with Oracle databases, engineered specifically to withstand extreme concurrent-user spikes during Tatkal booking windows.
Social Media Statistics
IRCTC maintains official accounts on X, Facebook and Instagram, primarily used for service updates and passenger communication.
Mobile App Statistics
The IRCTC Rail Connect app has surpassed 100 million downloads on Android, with the majority of bookings now completed via mobile rather than desktop.
Company Information
IRCTC Ltd. is headquartered in New Delhi and operates as a subsidiary of Indian Railways under the Ministry of Railways.
Ownership & Investors
The Government of India holds a majority stake in IRCTC, with the remaining shares publicly traded on the NSE and BSE following its 2019 IPO.
Financials
IRCTC generates an estimated USD 500 million in annual revenue from ticketing convenience fees, catering, tourism packages and payment services.
Business Model
As the sole authorised online ticketing agent for Indian Railways, IRCTC earns convenience fees per booking alongside revenue from e-catering, tourism and its iPay payment gateway.
Products & Services
Core offerings include the Rail Connect booking platform, eCatering food delivery for train passengers, tourism packages and the iPay digital wallet.
Competitors
While IRCTC holds an exclusive rail-booking mandate, it competes for broader travel spend with platforms like MakeMyTrip, ixigo and Yatra, which resell IRCTC inventory.
Company History & Milestones
Established in 1999, IRCTC launched online ticketing in 2002, introduced its mobile app in 2014, and listed on Indian stock exchanges in 2019.
Latest News
IRCTC continues upgrading its booking infrastructure ahead of peak festival travel demand and reports steady growth in its e-catering business.
User Reviews & Ratings
Passengers rely on IRCTC as the only official rail-booking channel, generally praising reliability while noting congestion during Tatkal booking windows.
Pros & Cons
Pros: official government platform, wide route coverage and integrated catering. Cons: peak-hour congestion, dated interface and occasionally slow refunds.
Key Statistics
~300 million monthly visits, ~1.5-2 million daily ticket bookings and the #1 rail ticketing platform ranking in India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns IRCTC? The Government of India, via a majority stake, with minority public shareholders. Is it the only rail booking site? Yes, other apps resell through IRCTC. What is Tatkal? A last-minute premium booking window.
Data Sources
IRCTC annual reports, Ministry of Railways data, Similarweb estimates and Statcounter.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
Flipkart, Hotstar, The Times of India, Myntra and MakeMyTrip.
Website Rankings
#1 travel and ticketing website in India and among the top 150 sites worldwide by estimated traffic.
Revenue & Funding History
IRCTC was established as a government subsidiary and later listed publicly via an IPO in 2019, giving it access to public capital markets alongside continued government backing.
Employee Statistics
IRCTC employs an estimated 2,000+ people across IT operations, customer support and catering management.
Customer Statistics
IRCTC serves hundreds of millions of registered users and processes 1.5-2 million ticket bookings on a typical day.
Backlink Profile
IRCTC has an estimated 100,000+ referring domains, largely from government, travel and news websites.
Top Organic Keywords
"irctc", "pnr status", "train ticket booking" and "tatkal booking" are dominant branded search terms.
Top Referral Sources
Direct and app access lead, followed by Google Search and third-party travel aggregators reselling IRCTC bookings.
Website Technologies
Java-based enterprise systems, Oracle databases and load-balanced booking servers built for extreme peak concurrency.
Advertising & Analytics Technologies
As a government platform, IRCTC uses minimal third-party adtech, relying mainly on Google Analytics for usage insights.
API & Developer Information
IRCTC provides APIs used by authorised travel agents and aggregator platforms to access booking inventory.
International Seller Opportunities
Catering vendors and authorised travel agents can register as official partners to reach IRCTC's massive passenger base.
Company history & milestones
- 1999
IRCTC established as an Indian Railways subsidiary
- 2002
Launches online train ticket booking
- 2014
Introduces mobile app for ticket booking
- 2019
Lists on NSE and BSE via IPO
- 2020
Expands e-catering and tourism verticals
- 2026
Continues platform modernisation for higher concurrent capacity
Latest news
- IRCTC upgrades booking servers ahead of festival seasonIRCTC Press Release · 2026
- IRCTC reports steady growth in e-catering revenueIRCTC Investor Relations · 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Official, government-backed booking platform
- Wide route coverage across Indian Railways network
- Integrated catering and tourism services
- High reliability at massive transaction scale
Cons
- Website can be congested during Tatkal booking windows
- User interface considered dated by some users
- Refund processing can be slow
- Frequent CAPTCHA and login friction during peak demand
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns IRCTC?
IRCTC is a public sector undertaking majority owned by the Government of India, with minority shares publicly traded.
Is IRCTC the only way to book Indian train tickets online?
Yes, IRCTC holds the exclusive government mandate; other travel apps resell through IRCTC's system.
What is Tatkal booking?
A premium last-minute booking window opening at fixed times each day for urgent travel.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- IRCTC annual reportsIRCTC Investor Relations
- Ministry of Railways dataGovernment of India
- Similarweb estimatesSimilarweb
- StatcounterStatcounter
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and structure as a listed public company; traffic estimates are third-party approximations.
- Last updated
- September 2026
As a listed public sector undertaking, IRCTC discloses more official financial data than most private peers, though traffic metrics remain modelled estimates.
Social media profiles & statistics