What is the full form of IRCTC?

The full form of IRCTC is the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation. IRCTC is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, that handles online ticketing operations, catering and hospitality, travel and tourism, and packaged drinking water (Rail Neer) for Indian Railways. The headquarters of IRCTC is in New Delhi, India. IRCTC has over 100 million users, of which approximately 75 million are active users. 

The IRCTC was established on 27 September 1999. In May 2008, IRCTC was classified as a Miniratna public corporation. It was listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in 2019. The Government of India's holding was reduced to 87 per cent in 2019, and then in another disinvestment drive, the government divested another 20 per cent. Currently, the government's holding in IRCTC is 67 per cent. 

What is the full form of IRCTC?

The full form of IRCTC is the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation. 

When was IRCTC established?

IRCTC was established on 27 September 1999 (27 years ago) as an Indian public sector undertaking. On 3 March 2025, IRCTC was granted the 'Navratna' status.

Who is the owner of IRCTC?

IRCTC is majorily owned and operated by the Ministry of Railway, Government of India.

The government holds a 62.40 per cent stake while Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) holds a 10.73 per cent, and public shareholders and insitutions account for 26.87 per cent.

Currently, Sanjay Kumar Jain is the Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of IRCTC.

5 Interesting Facts about IRCTC

1. On the first day of operation, IRCTC sold on 27 tickets. In FY2024-25, IRCTC website and mobile recorded an average daily ticket sale of 13.88 lakh. On 6 March 2025, IRCTC saw a record 16,17,404 ticket bookings in a single day.

2. IRCTC features its own e-wallet known as the IRCTC iPay to ensure more secure transactions. It works with multiple banking networks.

3. IRCTC is the first organisation after Indian Railways to operate its own train. In 2017, Tejas Express became the first private train to run in India.

4. Introduced in 2003, IRCTC has its own premium packaged drinking water brand called Rail Neer. As per the Indian Railways Annual Report and Accounts 2025, IRCTC at present operates 20 Rail Neer Plants, producing 46.46 crore bottles,

5. IRCTC operated 8 Bharat Gaurav Tourist Trains for Mahakumbh 2025 as "Mahakumbh Punya Kshetra Yatra" which covered destinations like Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya.