Trains serve as the lifeline of India, offering travelers one of the most convenient and enjoyable modes of transportation. Indian Railways strives to provide its passengers with top-quality service, comfort, efficiency, and speed. Booking train tickets through the IRCTC portal is now one of the best options available. However, if seats are unavailable during booking, the portal displays various ticket statuses, including RAC. Have you ever wondered what RAC status is or what RAC means in train travel?
The full form of RAC is Reservation Against Cancellation. Keep reading to learn all about RAC tickets and RAC status in Indian Railways.
What does RAC in a train means?
The Indian railways sell a type of train ticket known as Reservation Against Cancellation or RAC. If a seat displays RAC, it indicates that the passenger has a waiting list ticket. Although RAC guarantees the travel, it does not guarantee a berth. It is interesting to note that Indian railways often divides RAC seats for two passengers, increasing the possibility of sharing the seat and not getting a berth to sleep.
To understand better, let’s consider an example. A sleeper coach has 50 seats, out of which 40 are for confirmed ticket holders, and the remaining 10 are for RAC ticket holders. Suppose a person books the 41st ticket for the sleeper coach and gets an RAC ticket. The RAC ticket guarantees travel, but a complete berth will only be possible if any of the first 40 ticket holders cancel their reservation. In that case, the RAC ticket will get converted to a confirmed ticket, and the person will receive the seat.
However, if none of the first 40 ticket holders cancels their reservation, the traveler will still travel with an RAC seat, but they may have to share it with another RAC ticket holder.
Should You Consider Buying a RAC Ticket?
It is always worthwhile to buy a RAC ticket instead of any wait-listed ticket, such as GNWL or RLWL. Wait-listed tickets are not preferable to RAC tickets, as they do not guarantee a seat, not even a shared one.
Buying a RAC ticket is a smarter option as it provides at least a shared seat. Moreover, if someone with a confirmed seat cancels their ticket, RAC ticket holders receive the first preference for the vacant seat. Wait-listed tickets are considered for a seat only after all the RAC ticket holders have been allotted seats. In conclusion, if a confirmed ticket is not available, it is advisable to go ahead with a RAC ticket.
Confirmation chances of RAC Ticket
The situations in which a RAC status ticket holder can get a confirmed seat are when there is any last-minute cancellation by a confirmed seat passenger. Another case could be when any quota remains unsold or in cases when a confirmed ticket holder gets an upgrade as per the seat availability in the upper class.
In very rare circumstances, it might happen that confirmed ticket holders canceled their tickets but your RAC ticket did not get confirmed. In that case, one must not worry but wait. Why? Because RAC status is updated only after the Indian railways prepare an updated chart of the coach. If confusion still persists and you have already boarded the train you must contact the TT as they can fully guide you through the process to get your confirmed seat.
Hope this information on the RAC ticket and RAC in train has been helpful to you. Remember to use the IRCTC portal for safer online booking.
