IRCTC Train Ticket Booking: 10 Things To Know About Railways' Auto Upgradation Scheme

IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) offers the option of auto 'class upgradation' on online ticket booking. Under this offering, Indian Railways upgrades full fare paying 'waiting list passengers' to the next higher class against the available vacant accommodation, as mentioned on the official website of IRCTC-irctc.co.in. This not only benefits the waitlisted passengers but also benefit railways in terms of filling up vacant accommodation in various trains. This scheme is applicable only to passengers having booked tickets on full fare. Concession ticket/free passes holders including senior citizens traveling on concession are not upgraded, said IRCTC.

Here are 10 things to know about IRCTC auto upgradation scheme:

1. Upgradation is automatically done by PRS (Passenger Reservation System) at the time of charting. The train conductors/ticket examiners have no authority to upgrade any passenger under this scheme on the train, said IRCTC.

2. If a passenger, who has been upgraded, cancels his ticket, cancellation charges of the original class is only payable.

3. Upgradation of passengers are done in one class above only e.g. from sleeper to 3AC, 3AC to 2AC and 2AC to 1AC, mentioned IRCTC.

4. Only waitlisted passengers are provided confirmed seats under this scheme. The remaining vacant berths are transferred for booking on the current counters as per the existing practice. Thus, if there is no waiting list on a train, no upgradation will take place. 

5. The berths of confirmed passengers, who have been upgraded to the higher class, will be allotted to the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation)/WL (Waitlisted) passengers of that class. If there are still some berths vacant, the vacant berths are allotted to confirmed passengers of the next lower class, noted IRCTC.

6. All passengers in one PNR (maximum 6) are upgraded together. None of them will be upgraded in case of non-availability of enough berths for upgradation. 

7. Passengers are upgraded without asking for their choice e.g. SL to AC coach, cabin berth to side berth, lower berth to upper berth, cabin level compact accommodation to coach level compact accommodation. However, if any passenger exercises 'No' option for upgradation in the requisition form at the time of booking, his/her PNR (Passenger Name Record) is not considered by PRS for upgradation. 

8. Original PNR of upgraded passengers remain unchanged and all information from PRS are provided when an enquiry is made with the original PNR. 

9. Since there are changes in the coach number and berth numbers of passengers, who had earlier been allotted confirmed seats, if they are upgraded; passengers need to get into the habit of checking their final coach numbers and berth numbers before occupying the berths, said IRCTC.

10. The final charts of the upgraded class include the names of upgraded passengers against their allotted upgraded coach and berth number and have an indication denoting their upgraded status.