What is RAC Ticket | Meaning of RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) In Indian Railway

Want to know what is RAC Ticket? Have you booked your train ticket and got RAC reservation and wan to know how to get your RAC ticket confirm then read this article carefully till end because in this post I will tell you what is RAC in train ticket booking or what is RAC in IRCTC booking which is very important to know before booking any train ticket or before travelling with RAC ticket.

What is RAC?

While booking any train ticket when the seats are available in the train then at first confirm ticket along with seat number and coach number is provided to the passenger.

When all the seats of a particular class (sleeper class, first, second and third class AC or chair car) in a particular train is reserved then RAC ticket is issued to the passenger.

When all the RAC ticket is booked then waiting list starts and at last when all the waiting list in a particular class of train is booked then passenger cannot book any ticket in such case and it will show regret while booking the ticket.

RAC ticket is also a confirm ticket but with certain limitations such that a passenger with RAC ticket has to share seat with his another seat partner who also has the RAC ticket.

The only limitation of RAC is that the passenger will get side lower berth of the coach and single seat has to be shared among two RAC ticket holder passenger.

RAC Full Form

RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation.

It means that reservation will be given under RAC scheme after cancellation of any confirm ticket.

Can we Travel with RAC Ticket?

Yes, of-course a passenger with RAC status can travel in the train without any hesitation but the only condition is that the passenger has to share his/her seat with another person having same RAC status.

Here many people get confused and they are in doubt how to travel in train if RAC ticket is not confirmed weather they can travel with RAC ticket or not.

Also many passengers who don't know what is RAC in train reservation they think that the entire seat is reserved for them and they can lie down comfortably but it is not true instead you have to share your seat half - half.

Does RAC Ticket get Confirmed?

Chances of RAC ticket getting confirmed is only when someone with confirm seat reservation cancels his/her ticket.

RAC ticket get confirms only when a new coach is added to the train or when any passenger cancel his/her ticket then the same vacant seat is allocated to passenger with least RAC number.

For example, I booked a ticket in sleeper class and my current booking status RAC 4.

Now, any passenger having confirm reservation cancel his one ticket due to any reason then my RAC will reduce by 1 and it will become RAC 3 similarly the passenger with RAC 1 will get his seat confirm.

This process continues until the final chart is prepared.

During the reservation of RAC ticket, seat number and coach number is not assigned until the final chart is prepared.

Once the final chart is ready 2 hours before the schedule departure of the train, seat and coach number is assigned to the passenger and after that no change in the reservation status is entertained.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we Cancel RAC Ticket?

Yes, RAC ticket can be easily cancelled from the same mode from where the ticket was booked.

If the ticket was booked online through IRCTC or any other online platform then it can only be cancelled from the same online platform and the refund will be credited in the same account from where it was debited while booking the ticket.

In case the ticket is booked from reservation counter then it can be cancelled from any reservation counter of the Indian Railway and the cash after deducting the cancellation charge will be refunded to the passenger.

RAC ticket cancellation charges

As per the norms mentioned by IRCTC , the cancellation charge of RAC ticket is Rs. 60 per person + GST charges.

In case final chart is prepared, the refund for RAC ticket booked through IRCTC can be only made when it is cancelled up to 30 minutes before the schedule departure of the train. For refund you have to cancel the ticket and file TDR.

If the train has left the station from where the ticket was booked then ticket cannot be cancelled and no refund will be made for such tickets.

If the RAC ticket is confirmed at the time of cancellation of ticket then in such case the charges of deduction will be made according to confirm ticket cancellation rules.

For more details visit http://contents.irctc.co.in/en/eticketCancel.html

Final Words

The RAC seat can be fully acquired by the passenger when one of the passenger among two leaves the seat vacant.

For example I am travelling from Delhi to Lucknow on RAC seat and my seat was shared with someone who was travelling from Delhi to Kanpur.

When train reaches Kanpur, the passenger will leave the train in such case I can fully access the berth up to Lucknow according to rules.