PNR is a 10 digits number allotted to railway passengers while booking train tickets. PNR number reveals the status of your ticket booking. You are provided with a particular PNR number when you book your ticket online or offline. It is mentioned or printed on the top corner of your ticket.
PNR stands for Passenger Name Record where the details of a traveller are mentioned. It includes information like name, age, gender and berth of travellers. You are provided with this number in both situations, first, when you book a confirmed ticket and second when your ticket shows on the waitlist.
Indian Railways also provide a facility of the ticket in RAC quota where a passenger will get the seat but have to share it with a co-passenger. Before boarding the train, a traveller is required to check the PNR status of waitlisted train ticket and get sure about the confirmation chances of their bookings. Although travellers with confirmed PNR can travel without any hassle the waitlisted PNR passengers have to check their PNR Status online to know the updates on their ticket confirmation chances.
In the age of the internet and apps, Indian Railways walk step by step with up-to-the-minute technological innovations and changes. Everything is now just a click away as the entire railway info is available at your fingertips. IRCTC is the official partner of Indian Railways from where you can book tickets effortlessly and can get railway-related information.
How Waitlisted Tickets Are Booked?
When traveller books a ticket under the waitlisted category, two numbers are mentioned on the ticket. One is the number that shows the position of the ticket during booking and the second is the status of the ticket after booking. Suppose a ticket was booked with the status w/L 10 and after booking it shows W/L 8 which shows the current ticket position after booking.
It generally happens, when another passenger like a passenger with W/L 9 hasn’t booked the ticket finally or cancelled the booking. And his booking status is automatically transferred to the passenger with W/L position 8. The same will continue till it gets confirmed if the seats are available. This generally happens during the off-season. Confirmation chances mostly depend on certain criteria and also depend on the occasions of booking.
What Is the RAC Quota of Indian Railways?
RAC means Reservation against Cancellation which means the passenger is allowed to board the train but has to share the seat with a fellow passenger. As per Indian Railways rules, if a passenger with a confirmed ticket does not board the train, the berth will be allotted to the passenger with waitlisted/RAC ticket.
Waitlisted ticket means, a passenger will get the booking but have to wait for its confirmation to get a berth on the train. If the booking does not get confirmed after chart preparation, IRCTC updates the passenger about the current status of the train. Passengers can get informed about the booking status of waitlisted and RAC tickets via checking PNR Status online till the last hour of their journey or before the chart is prepared.
RAC Seat Allotment Procedure to a Passenger
Under the RAC seat allotment process, a passenger is allowed to enter the coach but with an unconfirmed berth. One seat is allotted to two different persons and they have to share the same berth. A single person cannot take the whole berth instead he/she has to share the berth with a person. It means two persons are given the same berth to share.
There could be a situation, when one passenger cancels the RAC waitlisted ticket then the complete berth is allotted to another person who was supposed to travel with that fellow passenger. Now, the second passenger with RAC/Waitlisted ticket gets a confirmed berth to travel comfortably without sharing the seat with anyone. Travellers can check their Waitlisted and RAC PNR Status online through the RailMitra app. It is a fast service-providing platform that gets accurate PNR information.
RAC Berth Distribution in Different Coaches
Indian Railways give you the preference to select the coach of your choice to have a wonderful train journey. If you are planning a journey, you are suggested to get your tickets done 120 days before the journey date. Through Advanced booking, passengers can easily get the seat/berth of their choice in their preferred coach.
Last-minute travellers have to face a rush to get confirmed bookings. Their last-minute booking may fall under the waitlist and RAC quota. During peak season, waitlisted ticket confirmation probability is less. But there is a hope to travel under the RAC quota as you will be allowed to board the train with a shared berth.
Indian Railways have distributed the following number of seats under RAC in different coaches:
AC 2 Tier: 4 seats are allotted, which means 8 travellers will get RAC waitlisted tickets in second class AC.
AC3 Tier: 6 seats are provided with that means, a total 12 travellers can get a RAC ticket in third class AC coach.
Sleeper Coach: 12 seats will be offered under RAC where total 24 passengers can travel under RAC Quota.
One berth is distributed among the passengers and they are supposed to share their berth without any argument. If one passenger with a RAC ticket cancels their booking at the last minute of travelling, the other passenger with the same RAC ticket will be allotted with complete berth and that passenger can travel with a confirmed berth without sharing it with any fellow passenger
Suppose you’re travelling from Patna to New Delhi and you are travelling under RAC with a co-passenger. If one passenger has booked the ticket from Patna to Kanpur, you have to travel with another passenger until he/she deboards the train at Kanpur. If there is a fresh RAC booking from Kanpur to Delhi, again you will have to share the seat with a co-passenger, but, in case, if there is no booking from Kanpur to Delhi, you are free to travel with a confirmed seat. It means you will get a complete confirmed berth from Kanpur to New Delhi.
When all RAC tickets are booked then, Indian Railways releases the waiting ticket under which a passenger can book the ticket but have to wait to board the train till the booking status gets confirmed. Once the ticket gets confirmed, a traveller can board the train with a confidence of a confirmed booking and he/she will be allotted a particular berth in the coach the ticket was booked. Travellers can check their booking status via checking PNR Status through RailMitra.
PNR Confirmation Probability
In case your ticket is confirmed you don’t need to rush for frequent PNR updates. But, if your ticket status shows on the waitlist, you’re suggested to check PNR Status online often. Waitlisted confirmation bookings are based on certain probability. Confirmation depends on the number of tickets on the waiting list and the availability of seats. It also provides you with the percentage of confirmation. PNR number helps you to predict the confirmation chances.
Availing of this service of Indian Railways gives you an idea to predict your seat confirmation status. Enter the 10-digit PNR number and get the current position of your berth. If it shows CNF with the details of coach position and berth number, it means your ticket is confirmed and you can freely travel to the date of your journey.
Which Is the Best App to Check PNR Status Online?
PNR is a ten-digit number given to a passenger to check the booking status online when it falls under the waiting/RAC category. In the age of digital innovations, many e-commerce businesses and travel companies have started providing railway-related services. But, choosing the best one is a wise decision.
If you want to know the accurate PNR Status, scroll down to the RailMitra app and get all the latest PNR updates within a second. Enter your PNR number and keep yourself informed frequently whether the ticket is confirmed or not. Apart from this, RailMitra also offers you various railway-related services like checking seat availability, live running status of the train and live station order online food on train etc.
Passengers are identified with their PNR number. A passenger can book a maximum of six tickets at the same time for a particular journey and in this case, travellers will be allotted with same PNR number. PNR is also used during online food ordering on trains. It helps the e-catering service partners to serve or deliver food to travellers easily.
