IRCTC has released a new version of its site. This version of its site had been in beta for a while. The new site is easier to use when planning a journey. Watch out for more details here.
The new site gives a very good interface if you're going to plan a journey. The new system is problematic for frequent travellers though. With the introduction of captcha in the quick book page things are harder now. Most of the time it doesn't load at all.