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A major overhaul is underway for the Indian Railways' ticket booking system. Starting today, July 15, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is launching a new, modern version of its website. The goal of this new platform is to make the ticket booking process faster, easier, and more user-friendly, ensuring a seamless experience for passengers every time.

**What has changed?**
The standout feature of the new IRCTC website is its enhanced capacity. While the current website can book approximately 32,000 tickets per minute, the new portal will be capable of booking over 1.5 lakh tickets per minute. This will directly benefit passengers who previously faced issues like slow speeds or website crashes during 'Tatkal' ticket bookings. The booking process will now be significantly faster and simpler.

**New features that will transform the experience**
Several smart features have been added to the new website:

*   An option to select a preferred seat during booking.
*   A fare calendar to view fares for different dates simultaneously.
*   Availability of the website in multiple Indian languages.
*   Integrated booking facilities for differently-abled passengers, students, and patients.

**A simpler and cleaner interface**
Major changes have been made to improve the user experience:

*   Unnecessary pop-ups and flashing graphics have been removed.
*   The frequency of CAPTCHA prompts has been reduced.
*   The entire booking process has become smoother and simpler.

**Complete information on a single screen**
Another significant change is that passengers will no longer need to check seat availability separately for different classes—such as Sleeper, AC 3-Tier, or AC 2-Tier. Seat availability across all categories will be displayed on a single screen, making it incredibly easy to compare options and make the right choice.

**Why was this change made?**
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the new website during an event held in Rajasthan. He stated that students and passengers had drawn attention to the issues encountered while booking tickets on the existing portal. In light of these complaints, the Railways decided to completely upgrade the system.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Dainik Jagran. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.