New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS): The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and mobile app were down on Thursday due to maintenance activities, leaving users looking to buy train tickets stuck.

This is the second time IRCTC's mobile app has gone down this month.

As the mobile app and website were down, users were unable to book Tatkal tickets. As soon as a user logs in to the website for booking, they get a message reading: "Unable to take action due to maintenance activities".

Many users expressed disappointment on social media due to the IRCTC app and website being down.

An X user wrote that Tatkal booking during the holiday season is a nightmare for railway passengers. "Servers crash right when bookings open. This is the worst website I've ever used. Why hasn't this been fixed despite repeated complaints?" he posted, attaching a screenshot of the website.

Another user wrote on social media with screenshots of the site: "It is 10:11 am... still IRCTC is not opening.... IRCTC should be enquired and checked... definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens all the tickets are gone..."

"IRCTC server down during Tatkal booking timings. IRCTC Rail connect & IRCTC Next Generation eTicketing System Can't work during Tatkal booking hours," another user wrote.

Yet another irate user wrote on social media: "Extremely disappointed with the IRCTC website. It crashes or slows down almost every time, especially during Tatkal booking hours! Millions of users rely on it, yet the experience remains frustrating. @AshwiniVaishnaw @RailMinIndia, please address this urgently! #IRCTC,".

Another wrote on social media that this has become a regular thing now. "Normal perople like us can't log in and by the time we do, all Tatkal tickets are sold out. The only option left is to look for some shady broker who's going to offer the same ticket at 3–4x the price".