How to Read Your PNR Status: CNF, RAC and WL Explained

PNR stands for Passenger Name Record. It is the 10-digit number printed at the top of your ticket and sent in your booking confirmation. One PNR covers everyone on the same booking (up to six passengers on a single ticket) and links them to one train, one date, one class, and one boarding and destination station.

Because anyone holding the number can look up the status, the official PNR enquiry shows passengers only as Passenger 1, Passenger 2 and so on, never by name.

Every passenger on a PNR has two statuses. The booking status is what you were given at the moment you booked, for example a waiting-list position. The current status is where you stand now, after other passengers have cancelled and the system has moved the queue forward.

Comparing the two is the quickest way to see progress. A ticket booked as RLWL/6 that now shows RLWL/4 has moved up two places. A ticket that was booked on the waiting list and now shows RAC or CNF has improved.

Most statuses are short codes separated by slashes, written in this order: status, coach, berth number and berth type.

Berth types you may see are LB (lower), MB (middle), UB (upper), SL (side lower) and SU (side upper). Quota codes such as GN (general), TQ (Tatkal) and LD (ladies) can also appear at the end of a booking status.

• CNF (confirmed): you have a seat or berth. If your ticket was waitlisted and later confirmed, the coach and berth number usually appear only after the chart is prepared.
• RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation): you are guaranteed a place to travel but may have to share a berth with another RAC passenger. If someone cancels, you can be moved to a full berth.
• WL (waiting list): you do not have a seat yet. The ticket confirms only if enough confirmed passengers cancel before the chart is prepared.

Indian Railways prepares reservation charts shortly before departure. The final chart is prepared about 30 minutes before the train leaves, and the status you see after it is final. The timing of the earlier chart has been revised in recent years and depends on when your train departs, so check the official notice for your train.

An e-ticket that is still on the waiting list after the final chart is cancelled automatically and refunded to your original payment method, apart from any small charges that apply. A waitlisted passenger cannot travel.

• Note the waiting-list type. GNWL, RLWL, PQWL and others behave differently (see our guide to waiting list types).
• Watch the movement, not only the number. Compare the booking and current status over several days.
• Check other dates, nearby trains or a different class on the seat availability page.
• Have a backup plan well before the journey, because the final answer arrives close to departure.