IRCTC Online Reservation: 5 Things To Know About 'Waitlisted Tickets'

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the ticketing arm of the Indian Railways, enables the public to book train tickets online through its website or mobile app. Passengers booking tickets through IRCTC online are assigned a specific status, such as confirmed (full berth), waiting or wait-listed (WL) and RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation). If the passenger status is marked as WL followed by a number, it means the passenger has a wait-listed status, according to IRCTC's website - irctc.co.in. If the passenger status is marked as RAC, it means that the berth is split into two seats for two RAC ticket holders. An RAC ticket ensures certainty of travel but does not guarantee a berth, according to the IRCTC website.

Given below are five things to know about IRCTC's waitlisted tickets and cancellation rules:

1. Name of the passengers whose status is fully confirmed/fully RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) after chart preparation, their names appear in charts and they can undertake their journey.

2. Name of the passengers whose names are partly confirmed/partly waitlisted or partly RAC/partly waitlisted, their names appear in charts including the waitlisted passengers.

3. Cancellation of e-tickets by the customer/agent through IRCTC's website is permitted only before chart preparation of the train. However, after chart preparation, passengers can use the online TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) filing facility and track refund status of the case through tracking service provided by IRCTC. 

4. Names of the passengers who are left out fully (all the passengers in the transaction) on waiting list after chart preparation, their names are dropped and do not appear in charts. They are not allowed to board the train, according to IRCTC's website.

5. The cancellation of waiting list passengers are done by IRCTC after chart preparation and refund is credited to customer's account electronically.