A major rule change by the railways for RAC passengers: Your seat can now be confirmed during the journey..

Millions of passengers travel on Indian Railways every day, and some of them get RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) tickets. An RAC ticket means you are allowed to travel on the train, but you haven't been allotted a full berth.

You will have to share your seat with another passenger, meaning two people sit on one berth. Passengers often wonder whether an RAC ticket can be confirmed even after the journey begins, or if they will have to spend the entire journey sitting on half a berth.

How does an RAC seat change after the journey begins?
An RAC status simply means you have the right to board the train, not a full berth. However, if your RAC number is low, your chances of getting a full berth are much higher. The process of confirming your seat after the journey begins is in the hands of the TTE (Train Ticket Examiner).

Let's say you booked a journey from Delhi to Mau. At the time of booking, you received RAC 25, but by the time the chart was prepared, it had become RAC 2. Now you are traveling on the train with this ticket. After the train departs, the TTE first checks how many confirmed passengers have canceled their journey or did not board the train (these are called 'no-shows'). Additionally, if any confirmed passenger deboards at an intermediate station, their seat also becomes vacant.

Who gets the vacant full berth first?
According to railway rules, the TTE allocates these vacant confirmed berths to passengers with the lowest RAC numbers first. This means that the passenger with the lowest RAC number gets the full berth first.

For example, if two confirmed seats become vacant after the train departs, the TTE will first give a full berth to the passenger with RAC 1, and then to the passenger with RAC 2. As soon as this happens, your RAC ticket is converted into a confirmed seat, and you no longer have to share your seat with anyone.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from TV9. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.