Subject: Comprehensive Accessibility Feedback and Audit Findings for the IRCTC Website Dear IRCTC Support / Technical Team, I am writing to share a detailed accessibility audit of the IRCTC website, specifically focusing on the user experience for individuals who rely on screen readers and assistive technologies. While navigating the platform to book tickets, I encountered several significant barriers that conflict with standard web accessibility guidelines (such as WCAG 2.1). Below is a detailed list of the critical issues identified, which urgently require your technical team's attention: ### **Key Accessibility Findings & Issues** 1. **Login Button Visibility & Placement:** The login button is highly difficult to locate, causing initial navigation friction. 2. **Missing ARIA Live/Alert Announcements on Login:** If a user submits incorrect information on the login page, no error messages are announced via aria-live or standard alerts, leaving screen reader users unaware of the failure. 3. **Inadequate Page Titles:** The page title does not dynamically update to provide a hint or clue confirming whether a user has successfully logged in or is still on the public page. 4. **Lack of Bypass Blocks:** There is no "Skip to Content" mechanism or properly defined ARIA landmarks to allow users to bypass repetitive navigation blocks. 5. **Absence of Heading Structure:** The website lacks a logical heading hierarchy (<h1> to <h6>), making it incredibly difficult for screen reader users to orient themselves or understand their current location on the page. 6. **Non-Tabular Train Information:** Train search results and information are not published in a standard tabular format, making complex data navigation tedious and inefficient. 7. **Loss of Focus After Class Selection:** Upon selecting a travel class, the screen reader focus is lost and jumps sporadically instead of remaining on the selection. This forces the user to re-search for the train all over again to proceed with booking. 8. **Misleading Date/Class Validation Error:** Users are required to click the available date within the train information to re-confirm it. If this step is missed, the system erroneously displays a "Select the Class" error message instead of prompting for the date, causing severe confusion. 9. **Missing Error Announcements on Passenger Page:** Similar to the login page, form validation errors on the passenger information page are not announced by aria-live or alert roles when an error is committed. 10. **Undefined Roles on the Payment Page:** The payment options lack clear element roles (such as explicit buttons or links). Because of this, assistive technology cannot communicate what elements are clickable, leaving users unable to distinguish between actionable options and static text. ### **Conclusion** Please note that these observations represent major friction points but are not exhaustive; there may be additional underlying accessibility gaps across the portal. As IRCTC is a vital public utility platform used by millions, ensuring digital inclusivity is paramount. I request your development team to review these points and implement standard ARIA roles, robust focus management, and dynamic live regions to make the ticket booking process seamless for citizens with visual impairments. I look forward to hearing about the steps being taken to resolve these accessibility barriers. Sincerely, Sent from my iPhone Hello friends, following are my findings on IRCTC website Number one, login button, difficult to locate Number two, no error messages are announced through alert or Arya live regarding wrong submission of information on login page Number three, the page title does not give any hint or clue that the person is logged in 4. No mechanism to skip to content or bypass block through landmarks Number five, no heading structure is created to understand the location of screen reader on a page Nu Number six, train information is not published in a tabular format to navigate easily Number seven, after selecting the class, the focus does not remain on the selection but goes here and there again. We have to search the train to book the ticket. Number eight, again, we have to click on the date available in the train information to reconfirm it, but if it is not done, then the wrong error message is given that select the class. Number nine on passenger information page. If we commit any error, the Arya live or alert does not announce the error, which we done. Number 10 on payment page, no role of button or links are given in the payments option. So user does not come to know that what should be clicked and what can be avoided. These are some of my observation, but not limited to this, there might be many other Sent from my iPhone
A significant amount of work is still required to make the IRCTC
website fully accessible. Meaningful progress can be achieved
through direct engagement with the website’s developer, CRIS;
otherwise, filing a PIL alone does not serve the intended
purpose.
I recall my own case against IRCTC before the Hon’ble CCPD, where
our learned advocate Mr. Subhash Vashishth, along with Mr.
Prashant from NAB, presented detailed arguments and discussions.
As a result of those proceedings, the CAPTCHA mathod was replaced
with OTP authentication, and later, the online card system was
introduced for ticket booking.
On 6/13/2026 9:37 AM, Vaishnavi
Jayakumar (Inclusive India) wrote:
Udit,
Please could you share the screen recording to [email protected]
- this is very valuable for sighted people to realise what the
UX issues are practically.
Dear Vaishnavi and all,
In addition to the issues I previously noted, I have
recorded a live screen share to demonstrate these
accessibility errors in real time.
Best regards,
UDIT Pandey
Dear Vaishnavi and all,
I would like to share a structured compilation of
critical accessibility defects identified on the IRCTC
website, captured directly from the browser's
accessibility tree. While some issues may be
intermittent, these have been persistent in my
experience. Furthermore, account creation has become
nearly impossible for most users, potentially due to
underlying infrastructure issues. These errors create
significant complications and prevent existing users
from logging in.
1. Focus Defect on Login Mechanism
- Issue: The "Login" option is omitted from the page's
focus order. Users navigating via the Tab key or screen
reader shortcuts cannot discover or trigger the Login
dialog.
- Impact: This is a critical blocker; assistive
technology users cannot access their accounts.
- Required Fix: Ensure the Login element uses a native
<button> or includes role="button" and
tabindex="0" with clear accessible text.
2. Date Picker Widget Overlap & Lack of Input
Choice
- Issue: Typing a valid date manually into the journey
date field leaves the visual calendar popup open
indefinitely. There is no independent mechanism to
bypass this mouse-driven calendar.
- Impact: This creates keyboard traps and interferes
with subsequent form processing, such as selecting "All
Classes".
- Required Fix: Automatically close the overlay once a
valid date format is entered, and implement native
combobox selectors or an explicit aria-expanded toggle
for the interactive grid.
3. Broken Semantics on Holiday and Service Shortcuts
- Issue: Essential service links (Trains, Buses,
Flights, Holidays) are rendered as empty entities or
generic static strings in the accessibility tree. There
are also "ghost" links present near the "From" station
selector.
- Impact: Screen reader users hear "List item, blank,"
making these service gateways unusable.
- Required Fix: Apply explicit text nodes or clear
aria-label fields (e.g., aria-label="Book Bus Tickets")
across all category lists and remove dead structural
markup.
Best regards,
UDIT Pandey
--
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Warm regards,
Udit Pandey
📱 Phone & WhatsApp: +91 99909 55800
📸 Instagram: udit.pandey123
🙏 Wishing you and your loved ones safety, peace,
and strength.
🕊 Let us speak no evil, see no evil, and hear no
evil.
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