Make a Railway Reservation and Know Your PNR Status
When Indian railways sells all available seats on a given train, tickets released by IRCTC start from RAC denoting railway reservation, ending with WL tickets that are for those travelers who have been put on the wait list.
Every train has its share of cancellations due to a variety of reasons form passengers. When these cancellations occur, holders of RAC and WT tickets are placed to secure a seat and berth, as well. Once a train’s reservation chart is prepared, there is usually a few hours remaining before its departure. It is during this final period that holders of RAC and WT tickets are able to get the remaining vacancies on the train. However, priority is given to RAC ticket holders. Once the RAC ticket holders have been confirmed, and there are any remaining seats, passengers with WT tickets are given consideration. This makes the process efficient and organized. Thus reduces the chances of those with boarding tickets from losing their ticket fee.
Passengers with tickets can use the pnr numbers printed on the upper left hand corner. This allows them to know their pnr status in the rail corporation’s website. Smart phones with the rail corporation app can be used. SMS messages can be sent to the designated numbers before making final confirmations as to whether they are boarding the train or not. In the event of not being able to travel, the ticket fee is refunded and deposited in their bank accounts. It is recommended that passengers secure their bookings and reservations early enough to avoid missing the opportunity of travelling on the intended date.
It is important to keep checking up to the last minute since the RAC is also a boarding ticket. Missing the opportunity to travel on such a ticket does not result in an automatic ticket fee refund.
