what is rac in train booking

RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation and is a type of ticket that can be sold for travel on the Indian Railways. It allows a passenger to travel in a train but does not guarantee a berth. A berth will be allocated to the ticket holder who reserves an RAC ticket if passengers who already have a confirmed ticket do not board before the train departure or get their confirmed ticket cancelled. A berth is split into 2 seats for 2 RAC ticket holders. An RAC ticket holder is given an empty berth if there are any last-minute cancellations, if any quota remains unsold, or if any confirmed ticket holders are given a free upgrade according to seat availability in upper class. Generally, RAC/WL tickets will have two numbers - the first number shows the status of the ticket at the time of booking, and the second number after the slash (/) shows the current status of the ticket. So, RAC8/RAC2 means that when the ticket is purchased, it was the 8th such ticket under RAC category, which has moved 6 places after 6 cancellations. It can be assumed that it was the 8th ticket in the queue and is now the 2nd. In summary, RAC in train booking means that you are allowed to travel in the coach but may have to share your berth with another RAC ticket holder, and you may or may not get a full berth depending on the availability of seats.