IRCTC.co.in, which is Indian Railways’ online ticket booking web portal has been revamped for a new cleaner, clutter-free look. The website redesign is also supposed to make it more user-friendly when it comes to booking trains. Now users can search for trains and details such as destination, timings, seat availability, etc without logging in to their IRCTC account, which is among the highlights of the revamped site. Earlier, one had to login before they could check the same.
One key new feature of the IRCTC website is that the PNR status of trains can can now be checked directly below the log-in form. The search comes with a lot more options to check for departure/arrival time of trains, train type, class, etc. Another feature that many will find useful is the train waitlist prediction feature that uses machine learning algorithm to predict the probability of booking confirmation. It takes advantage of historical data as well as live conditions to show confirmation probability in terms of percentage. Let us take a look at how the waitlist prediction on the new IRCTC website works:
How to check for waitlist confirmation on irctc.co.in
• People who do not have confirmed tickets can check for the probability of confirmation by clicking on ‘CNF Probability’ and it will be displayed in terms of per centage. For instance, it showed a 95 per cent probability of confirmation for the train ticket when general waiting list was three.
• IRCTC says it analyses current and past trends to predict the probability of confirmation, which may differ from actual status. The information may not always be accurate, but the information itself could prove to be helpful in deciding whether to go ahead with the journey, based on confirmation probability.
IRCTC.co.in website’s ‘My Transactions’ option has been updated as well with new filters that enable users to view previously booked tickets based on journey date, upcoming and completed journey, booking date, and more. For those planning for a journey ahead can look for trains for other days and fare break-up. Thanks to the ‘Vikalp’ option, users can change boarding point or look for alternate trains. As for payment options, users can mark six banks under the My profile section. Booked tickets can be requested for on SMS.