Any Indian Railways train ticket is incomplete without a PNR number and status. It serves as proof of the booking and carries critical information relating to your trip. Thus, PNR number and PNR status both are significant for all train journeys.
In fact, interestingly PNR number and status are so important that they can even replace tickets. Passengers are allowed to travel without their tickets if there PNR status shows confirmed. In case, you are not carrying the ticket, simple approach the TC, share the details of your PNR and ID proof and you will be allowed to travel.
Here is everything you need to know about PNR status.
What is PNR status?
PNR stands for passenger name record. All Indian Railways tickets have a PNR number that gives relevant information to all the ticket holders. The PNR status carries details about the booking such as the arrival and departure time, coach and seat number, fare paid by the passenger, status of the reservation, among other details.
Importance of PNR status
The PNR status is significant for a railway enquiry as it can specify correctly whether or not a ticket is booked. Although, one should know the all abbreviations to understand the status clearly.
The important abbreviations relating to the Indian Railways PNR status are as follows:
CNF: CNF stands for Confirmed Railway Ticket. The seat is allotted in this case after charting.
CAN: The ticket is cancelled.
WL: It indicates Waiting List (If your ticket shows WL, you cannot board the train). If a WL does not get confirmed, it stands automatically cancelled.
RAC: RAC stands for Reservation against cancellation. In this case, the passenger is allowed to travel, and two passengers share the same berth. In case, a confirmed passenger does not get on the train; the complete berth is allotted to the traveller with RAC ticket.
RLWL: Remote Location Waiting List has a high probability of confirmation. Smaller, remote stations have a separate quota of seats and waiting seats on these in-between stations are given the RLWL status.
TQWL: Tatkal Waiting List. All those passengers who make a tatkal booking and are put on a waitlist are shown the TQWL status. Such tickets have a low probability of confirmation.
PQWL: Pooled Quota Waiting List. The passengers travelling between intermediate stations have a separate waitlist from the general waitlist.
NR: This stands for No Room
NOSB: No Seat Berth. All the children below the age of 12 are charged child fare and are not allotted seats. Their PNR status shows NOSB.
WEBCANRF: Railway Counter ticket that has been cancelled online. It also indicates that the refund is collected.
WEBCAN: Railway Counter ticket, which has been cancelled online but the refund is not yet collected.
How is the PNR number issued for a train?
There are two parts of a PNR number. The first three digits specify the area from where the ticket is booked. The digits, in the beginning, indicate from where the train will start. All Indian Railways train tickets are booked from a PRS (Passenger Reservation System), and hence the two succeeding digits after the first number will signify the specific PRS.
The following numbers refer to the specific booking zones:
- 1: The ticket is issued from the SCR zone (Secunderabad PRS)
- 2, 3: The ticket is issued from NR, NCR, NWR, or NER zone (New Delhi PRS)
- 4, 5: The ticket is issued from SR, SWR, or SCR zone (Chennai PRS)
- 6, 7: The ticket is issued from NFR, ECR, ER, EcoR, SER or SECR zone (Kolkata PRS)
- 8, 9: The ticket is issued from CR, WCR, or WR zone (Mumbai PRS)
On the other hand, the last 7 digits of the Indian Railways PNR number are created randomly to give it a unique identity.
PNR status prediction by ixigo
Sometimes passengers are worried about the confirmation of their waitlisted ticket. In that case, one can try the PNR status prediction feature by ixigo. It is super easy to use and helps make a decision about your train ticket.
PNR status can be checked online. Here’s how:
Check PNR status online on ixigo.com. Please follow the steps below:
- Go to the ixigo website or download the ixigo trains app.
- Click on the PNR Status button.
- Enter your 10 digit PNR number and search.
- The current status of your booked ticket and other passenger details will show on your screen.
PNR status can also be checked via your phone. Here’s how:
In case there is low internet connectivity, one can check the PNR status by simply sending an SMS. The instructions below will help you!
- Type “PNR (10-digit PNR Number)” and send it to 139.
- Type “PNR (10-digit PNR Number)” and send it to 5676747.
Indian Railways PNR status keeps changing and once should keep checking it.
The Train PNR status is recorded in realtime and hence should be checked regularly. The booking status can change from the waitlist, can get confirmed or even can get cancelled. Thus, it is critical to keep checking it regularly.