Train Seat/Berth Availability

Seeking for the seat available on the desired train for the journey between two station is defined as Seat Availability. IRCTC gives a great opportunity to plan your train journey before 4 months. Yes!! One can make its itinerary in advance of 120 days.

We all are well aware of the agitation of the unplanned travel or trip. The irritation of standing in the long queue also makes one tiring and time consuming so etrains.in gives an option to check seat availability from your place may be office or its your home and can book on IRCTC and if any case you need to cancel the ticket, then IRCTC gives that option as well with your refund.

Indian railway have a special feature for immediate travel or last minute trip, where you can book your Tatkal (before a day prior for your journey). Before booking the Tatkal ticket, one should be ready with their computer with open IRCTC reservation on your screen because tickets books on Tatkal in the fractions of second.

If you want to check availability of seats in train, please enter the train number, source and destination Station, select journey date, travel class, quota and click Get Seat Availability.

Seat availability will be shown for selected train and date. IRCTC seat availability works on desktop, tablet, smartphone and basic mobile. No need to go to station and face engaged counters and long line for availability machines of Indian Railway.

• Period of operation on IRCTC: The online booking service isn't available 24 hours a day, it closes for maintenance 23:45-00:20 Indian time. The system can sometimes be overloaded with visitors, so if you have any problems or if it rejects your credit card, try again later. This may be why some people breeze through it and love it, while others struggle. It gets significantly less busy after about 18:00 Indian time.
• Ticket List:
  • CNF - Confirmed reservation.
  • RAC - Reservation against cancellation. Which means you are allowed to board the train and travel? So if you get a RAC ticket, probably you should book it. even though you won't have a specific seat or berth number at this stage. In most cases, one of the confirmed passengers will cancel at some point before departure, and you will be promoted from RAC to CNF with a confirmed seat or berth on the train.
  • WL - Waiting list. It shows that if you have booked the ticket and all seat of that selected train are booked at the moment then your name come in waiting list train. The waiting list usually shifts, when another passenger cancels its ticket. so one should check its ticket once in a day or in 24 hours. So that it may become a confirmed ticket and luckily can get a seat and even if you're only promoted to RAC, you can at least now travel.
• Seat Categorization: There are 8 classes of boarding in Indian trains. With vast diversification of seats provided on Indian trains, we all should know about the different categories of the seat, so you can easily select the seat.
  • Here is a brief glimpse on the seat layout:
    • 1A: Means First AC, the price of these seats are highest and provides berths and bed rolls inclusive. Every trains have First class AC coaches are limited in most of the trains and have less seats available as compared to other coaches.
    • 2A: means Second AC, the price of the seat are bit lesser than 1st class AC. Only 48 passengers are permitted in each 2A coach.
    • 3A: Known as Third AC, these have three shelves like berths on each side. The bedding is included in the fare. These coaches are limited for 64 passengers.
    • SL: It is known as sleeper class and without air condition with three shelves for sleeping. The most convenient and approachable way of commuting for major population of the country. It is curated for 72 passengers.
    • CC: means Chair Cars. They are completely fully air-conditioned and incorporated with kind of recliners.
    • 2S: means 2nd class seat. It consists of bench type of seats for the passengers and are non-air-conditioned coaches.
• Quotas: There are few quotas, which are taken care by Indian Railway.
  • General Quota (GN)
  • Tatkal Quota (CK)
  • Premium Tatkal Quota (PT)
  • Ladies Quota (LD)
  • Defence Quota (DF)
  • Senior Citizen Quota (SS): Female(above 45 Year)/Senior Citizen/Travelling alone