In an interview, Himalian said nearly 89 per cent of railway tickets are now booked online through IRCTC. Of these, 53 per cent are booked through the IRCTC Rail Connect mobile app and 17 per cent through its website. Government arrangements account for roughly 2 per cent, while third-party business associates account for the remaining 28 per cent.
"28 per cent are through the business associates through B2C, B2B, ICS platform, whether it is MakeMyTrip, Paytm, ixigo, ConfirmTkt," Himalian said.
The 28 per cent figure represents the combined share of all IRCTC business associates and does not indicate Paytm's individual share. IRCTC has not disclosed a platform-wise split within this channel. The figure nevertheless places Paytm within a key distribution layer for Indian rail travel.
Himalian said 18 lakh to 19 lakh railway tickets are booked daily, of which about 14.88 lakh to 15 lakh are booked online.
The disclosure comes as Paytm reports stronger momentum across its consumer business. In the June quarter, Q1 FY27, consumer UPI GTV rose 45 per cent year-on-year to ₹5.9 lakh crore, while Monthly Transacting Users increased by 60 lakh to 8 crore. The company said its consumer UPI growth was running at 2.2 times the industry rate.
Paytm's management also pointed to a widening gap between user growth and transaction growth as evidence of deeper engagement. During its earnings call, the company said monthly transacting users grew about 8 per cent while consumer GTV increased 45 per cent, indicating that existing users were transacting far more frequently.
Travel formed part of a broader consumer business that Paytm described as broad-based and accelerating. Management noted that higher airfares weighed on leisure demand across the industry during the quarter. Against that backdrop, rail remains a large and resilient online booking category, making IRCTC's distribution network a significant part of the wider travel business.
Himalian also said he wants IRCTC to expand beyond ticketing and become "a trusted digital gateway for the entire travel journey", covering accommodation, tourism, insurance, food, cabs and local mobility.
For Paytm, the mention reflects the breadth of its consumer reach, extending into a category as large and frequently used as railway travel. Railways handle millions of bookings each day at a frequency few travel segments match, making participation in that booking flow relevant to the consumer engagement highlighted by Paytm during the June quarter.
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