In the context of Indian Railways, RAC stands for “Reservation Against Cancellation.”
It is a system that allows passengers to book a ticket even when all the confirmed seats in a train are already taken.
When passengers book RAC tickets, they have a chance of getting a confirmed berth if there are cancellations or additional coaches are attached to the train.
Here’s how the RAC system works in Indian Railways:
RAC Ticket: Passengers with RAC tickets are provided with a seat on the train, but they may have to share it with another RAC passenger. These seats are not initially confirmed berths but are considered a temporary arrangement.
Berth Sharing: Two RAC passengers are assigned to a single berth, with one sitting on the lower berth and the other on the side berth (if available). As the journey progresses and more passengers with confirmed reservations cancel their tickets, RAC passengers have a chance to get a confirmed berth.
Upgradation: If there are enough cancellations, RAC passengers can be upgraded to a confirmed berth. This is done in the order of their ticket status.
It’s important to note that RAC status is not the same as a waiting list (WL) status.
Passengers on the waiting list do not have a seat or berth reserved until their ticket status changes to RAC or confirmed.
Indian Railways has its own rules and policies regarding RAC tickets and how the allocation of berths is done.
The availability of RAC tickets may vary depending on the train and class of travel.
Passengers can check the status of their RAC tickets by using their PNR (Passenger Name Record) number on the Indian Railways website or at the railway station.
