RAC Full Form

RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation, a name given to a conditional reservation in the Indian Railways where a person can have a confirmed ticket only if there is a cancellation of the other confirmed tickets from the passenger list.It guarantees assurance of movement yet doesn't ensure a different berth, i.e., a compartment is separated into two seats for 2 RAC ticket holders. 

Technology has made booking a ticket exceptionally simple. You can book a ticket without much of a stretch by utilizing your cell phone in a couple of minutes. There are different codes utilized by the railway department to show the booking status. 

On the off chance that seats are accessible, a ticket will be affirmed, and if not accessible, the ticket will fall in the class of the waiting list.  This is the reason why most people go for early reservations. The railway’s guidelines state that a person should have reserved his seat at least 120 days before the trip. However, if there is any change in the schedule and one has to withdraw his confirmed tickets, the people who are waiting for the RAC will be getting the opportunity of a verified ticket for their smooth journey.

In specific conditions, a ticket from holding up rundown may change over into a RAC ticket, which implies you won't get a single seat, however, you will get a seat on sharing a premise, i.e., two travellers holding a RAC ticket need to share a seat between them. So, we can say that the RAC seat is a half seat.

In What Circumstances Does a RAC Holder Get the Seat?

RAC ticket holders can be benefitted in various scenarios. A RAC ticket holder can get a vacant or separate compartment in specific situations, for example, 

• If there is any last-minute cancellation.

• On the off chance that any quota remains unsold. 

• If any confirmed ticket holder gets a free upgrade as per seat availability in the upper class, his or her seat can be offered to a RAC ticket holder.

What is the RAC Cancellation Rule? 

You can cancel RAC ticket under the below circumstances:

• A traveller can drop RAC online ticket 30 minutes before the planned departure of the train. No refund is applicable later on, according to IRCTC. 

• If there is an online RAC ticket available when the reservation chart is done online, a TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) is required to be petitioned for getting a refund. 

• In case a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket is given for travel to more than one passenger, or a few travellers have affirmed reservation and others are on RAC or holding up list, a full refund of fare is allowed for affirmed travellers. It is subject to the condition that the ticket is dropped on the web or online TDR is petitioned for all the travellers as long as thirty minutes before the planned departure of the train.

Requisition of Categories for RAC Ticket? 

Despite the fact that there is an Emergency Quota (EQ) valid in the RAC tickets, the EQ has tickets booked by VIPs, railroad staff, and so on, which by some possibility have not been confirmed. Regularly, these tickets are given priority over ordinary RAC appointments when lined for confirmation.

Benefits of RAC Ticket

The greatest advantage of a RAC ticket is that with this ticket you get the option to board on the train. Since as you are aware you can't go on a train with waiting list tickets, and if you are travelling with a RAC ticket, there is a decent possibility that you will likewise get an affirmed berth soon. It relies upon TTE finding a vacant seat 

In case your itinerary item is not a hundred per cent confirmed, and you have a RAC ticket by chance, it will be increasingly helpful to you. In such a case if you need to cancel the ticket, then your ticket dropping charge will be exceptionally less

Other advantages of RAC ticket are:

• The key advantage of having the RAC ticket is that one can have a pass to get on the train.

• If a person is having a waiting list train ticket, he cannot travel. However, if a person is having a RAC ticket there is a fair chance that he can have a confirmed seat.

• The cancellation fee is only Rs. 60, which means travellers can withdraw RAC tickets.

RAC Tickets- Limitations

• The fare paid for the seat is not compensated and the individual has to pay the full fare.

• The cancellation is time-bound.

• It is not possible for having a full-berth availability each time.

Points to Remember 

• One can easily book train tickets because of the technology and travellers can book their tickets through their smartphones quickly and easily.

• The railway department uses different codes to show the booking status of the passenger’s seats. It will only be confirmed if the tickets are available and if the booking is not valid, the seat will fall into the waitlist group.

• If the waiting list ticket is transformed into a RAC ticket, the traveller will get a shared seat, or it can be said that the RAC ticket is a half seat.