Big relief for train passengers! IRCTC to remove CAPTCHA for faster ticket booking

NEW DELHI: Booking train tickets online is set to become much faster and easier. The Indian Railways is removing the CAPTCHA verification that has long been a frustrating step for many users while booking tickets through IRCTC. The change comes after the introduction of Aadhaar-based verification and stronger security measures for online ticket bookings.

With the new system, users will be able to book tickets through the IRCTC website or mobile app without entering a CAPTCHA. If passenger details have already been saved, the entire booking process can be completed within seconds.

CAPTCHA was introduced to make sure that a real person, not a bot, was booking the ticket. Users had to type the letters and numbers displayed on the screen before they could continue with the booking process. Under the updated IRCTC platform, passengers will no longer have to enter a CAPTCHA while logging in or confirming their tickets. The entire booking process can now be completed in just eight clicks. If passenger details are already saved, it will take only six clicks to finish the booking.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced several other improvements to the IRCTC platform. These include the removal of unnecessary pop-ups and distracting graphics. Passengers will also be able to view seat availability across all travel classes on a single screen.

The idea to remove CAPTCHA came after a student raised the issue during the Railway Minister's visit to the Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, last month. Following this, IRCTC and the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) demonstrated the beta version of the redesigned website to students of MNIT and invited their feedback. Ashwini Vaishnaw said the updated IRCTC portal, incorporating students' suggestions, will be launched soon. Until then, the existing ticket booking process will continue.