Chhath Puja: RAC Train Ticket Turns Waitlisted On Chart Preparation; Railway Turns Saviour

The Indian Railways is witnessing a huge rush of passengers in trains heading to Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh due to the Chhath festival. Videos of overcrowded trains are making the rounds on social media, and Railway officials are working hard to maintain order amid chaos. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw himself visited the station and took stock of the situation. The Indian Railways is running over 7,000 special trains to cater to the demands. However, the regular trains are witnessing a huge rush of passengers. 

Amid this, passengers are sharing their experiences and the troubles they face on social media platforms. In one such instance, a passenger shared that when he bought a ticket to Darbhanga, it was waitlisted. However, days before the journey date, it updated into RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation). Those who travel via Indian Railways, are well aware that once your ticket turns RAC, you are assured of half of the seat at least. 

However, in this case, to the passenger’s amusement, when the chart was prepared, the ticket turned waitlisted again. Indian Railways prepares a chart for every long-distance train 4 hours before the scheduled departure. During the chart preparations, those having RAC and waitlisted tickets stand a chance to get a confirmed berth against cancellations. However, in this case, the passenger faced an anomalous situation. 

The passenger then took it to X and raised the issue with the Indian Railways. “What is going on in the railways? On October 30, the ticket RAC was 31. Yesterday it was stuck at RAC 12. When the chart was prepared today, the waiting became 18. What kind of reservation system is this? Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ji, will you understand what will happen if a Bihari is not able to come home on the occasion of Chhath?” he said sharing his ticket details.

However, the Indian Railways was quick to respond and accommodated the passenger in another train on the next day. “I have been contacted by the railways. I have been asked to be ready for tomorrow’s journey,” said the passenger thanking the railway minister.’

For those who may not be aware, the Indian Railways also runs Vikalp trains for those regular trains witnessing huge demand. If a passenger opts for the Vikalp option while booking his/her ticket, if the ticket doesn’t get confirmed, then the passenger is given an option to travel in the Vikalp Train by providing a confirmed berth.