When booking Indian Railways tickets, sometimes the ticket is on the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) list. RAC tickets mean that when a passenger gets a berth on the train, it will not be assigned to them only, but it will be shared by a co-passenger. Most side lower seats are to be shared with a co-passenger, but if there are some free seats available in the train, the TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) of the train may allot a complete seat. However, if there is no free seat available, the passenger will have to share their berth with a co-passenger. RAC status tickets guarantee the passengers a seat in the train, but not a berth for sleeping. If a passenger wants a full berth for their journey, they can cancel RAC tickets with minimal cancellation charges. Any RAC ticket can be canceled up to 30 minutes before the departure of the train from the original station. No refund will be given if RAC tickets are canceled post minutes before the departure of the train from the original station. If the ticket is an e-ticket, i.e., booked online, then it should be canceled over the internet, and the refund will be processed online.
RAC is a special provision to split a berth into two or more seats. This is not a quota but a predefined allocation to take care of the situation where a passenger is not able to get a confirmed seat or berth at the time of booking. The passengers whose names figure under RAC are provided reserved sitting accommodation initially and are given a seat number. If a person who already had a confirmed ticket cancels it, there are chances that an RAC ticket may be converted into a confirmed ticket.
In summary, RAC in railway reservation means that a passenger is guaranteed a seat on the train, but not a berth for sleeping. If a passenger wants a full berth, they can cancel RAC tickets with minimal cancellation charges. RAC is a special provision to split a berth into two or more seats, and passengers whose names figure under RAC are provided reserved sitting accommodation initially and are given a seat number.
