Train PNR status
PNR status, with your chance of confirmation
Put in the ten-digit number from your ticket and you see where every passenger on it stands right now: the live status, what it was booked as, whether the chart has been prepared — and, for a waitlisted or RAC passenger, the chance of confirmation and what would help.
Your PNR is never stored. It is used once to show your status, and then it is gone.
Reading your result
Two columns matter, and they are deliberately shown side by side. Booked as is where the ticket started. Now is where it stands. A ticket that reads GNWL/45 at booking and CNF/B2/34 today has moved 45 places; one that still reads WL 12 has not moved at all. Collapsing those two into a single word would throw away the only thing that tells you which way your ticket is travelling.
| What you see | What it means | Can you board? |
|---|---|---|
| CNF | Confirmed, with a coach and berth allotted. | Yes. |
| RAC | Reservation Against Cancellation — you have a seat to share, and often a full berth once the chart is out. | Yes, you can travel. |
| WL | Still waitlisted. The number is your place in the queue for that quota. | Not unless it clears before the chart. |
| CAN | The ticket was cancelled. | No. |
The waitlist letters in front — GNWL, RLWL, PQWL, TQWL — decide how likely it is to clear at all, and they differ far more than most travellers expect. The difference between the waitlist types is worth two minutes before you decide whether to hold or rebook. For the full list of every status code you can see, read PNR status explained.
Your confirmation chances, passenger by passenger
When a passenger is waitlisted or RAC and the chart is not yet prepared, the result shows a chance of confirmation under the status table, one line per passenger. It is a prediction, marked as one, and it never replaces the status above it.
A waitlisted passenger sees a plain verdict — likely to confirm, could go either way, or unlikely to confirm — with the probability range behind it, for example “about 70–100%”. When the numbers allow it, the line also says where new bookings on the same train join the queue today, and that you are ahead of them. An RAC passenger is told that they can travel, and that a full berth depends on cancellations. A confirmed passenger has nothing to wait for.
The verdict is judged on the low end of the range, never the high, so “likely” is never built on the optimistic edge of a wide estimate. And the estimate stays a range: when the evidence is consistent it is narrow, when it is mixed it is wider, and the page shows it as it is rather than pretending to a single number.
How the prediction works, and what it cannot tell you
The chance comes from how tickets like yours have actually behaved: the same train, the same stretch, the same class and quota, at this time of year — how often a waitlist at this position cleared before the chart. Most of what moves a waitlist is cancellations in the last two or three days and unused quota released at the chart, so the chance shifts as the date comes closer.
What it cannot do: a chance is not a guarantee. “90%” means roughly nine of ten tickets in your position confirmed in the past, not that yours will. A festival week, a cancelled train, a quota change or a surge in demand can move the outcome either way. Your status is the railway's word; the chance is an estimate, and when the two differ, the status wins. It also does not run after the chart: once the chart is prepared a waitlisted ticket is final, there is nothing left to predict, and the page says so instead.
What would help a waitlisted ticket
The letters in front of your waitlist number decide what can move it, so the advice differs by type. The result names yours; this is what each one means in practice.
| Waitlist | What clears it | What would help |
|---|---|---|
| GNWL | Every cancellation on the train's full run, plus unused quotas released before the chart. Clears best. | Keep it. Look again the evening before departure and after the chart. |
| RLWL | Only cancellations inside one intermediate station's small share of berths. Moves slowly. | Check whether booking from the train's origin puts you on the general list, and keep a backup. |
| PQWL | A pooled quota for a shorter hop; a cancellation helps only when it covers your stretch. | Look at another train or a longer booking on the same one, and keep a backup. |
| TQWL | Tatkal cancellations only, after the general list. Seldom confirms. | Book a backup now. |
| RAC | You can travel. A full berth comes as confirmed passengers cancel or do not turn up. | Board. Upgrades go in RAC order at the chart and on the train. |
If you opted for Vikalp when booking, a ticket that is still fully waitlisted after the chart may be moved to an alternate train leaving within the next three days, at no extra fare. How the Vikalp scheme works · Tatkal waiting list chances, in detail · Booking from an earlier station
The chart is the deadline
A waitlisted ticket can move right up until the chart is prepared, which normally happens a few hours before the train leaves its origin, and the night before for early-morning departures. Until then, every cancellation ahead of you helps. After it, your status is final. That is why this page shows the chart line: it tells you whether you are still waiting on something, or whether the answer is in. When the chart is prepared, in detail.
If it is still waitlisted
Checking again more often does not change anything. What does change the outcome is knowing whether this particular waitlist historically clears on this route and this date, and whether another train, another quota, or boarding from an earlier station would put you in a queue that actually moves. That is the question YaatriGan was built to answer, and it is one search away.
The status is live and is shown exactly as it stands. Your PNR is not stored.
Questions people ask
How do I check my PNR status?
Enter the ten-digit PNR from your ticket or booking SMS at the top of this page and press Check status. You see every passenger on the booking at once: the live status, what each was booked as, and whether the chart has been prepared.
Does this page show PNR confirmation chances?
Yes. When a passenger is waitlisted or RAC and the chart is not yet prepared, a chance of confirmation appears under the status table, one line per passenger: likely to confirm, could go either way, or unlikely, with the probability range behind it. It is a prediction and is labelled as one; the status above it is the railway's word and always wins.
What does the confirmation probability mean?
It is how often tickets in your position on this train, stretch, class and quota ended up confirmed before the chart. About 70–100% means most did; about 0–30% means few did. It is shown as a range rather than a single number, and the verdict is judged on the low end of that range, so a wide, uncertain estimate is never called likely.
How accurate is the PNR prediction?
Accurate enough to plan by, and never a guarantee. A 90% chance means roughly nine in ten tickets in that position confirmed in the past, not that yours will. A festival week, a cancelled train, a quota change or a surge in demand can move the outcome either way. Look again the evening before departure; the chart settles it.
Does a high chance guarantee my waitlisted ticket will confirm?
No. A chance is a prediction about tickets like yours, not a promise about yours. Until the chart is prepared, the only thing that confirms a waitlisted ticket is people ahead of you cancelling or unused quota being released. If the chance is high, keep the ticket and check again after the chart; if it is low, book a backup now while there is still time.
What are the chances of an RAC ticket becoming a full berth?
You can travel on an RAC ticket either way, on a shared side-lower seat. It becomes a full berth when confirmed passengers cancel or do not turn up: upgrades go in RAC order at the chart and again on board when the ticket examiner marks no-shows. A low RAC number on a long-distance train usually ends with a full berth; a high one on a packed festival train often stays shared.
Can I see confirmation chances before I book?
Yes. The journey search shows the confirmation chance for every train and class on your route and date before you book, alongside the live availability, and ranks the options by how likely you are to actually reach. That is the moment the chance is most useful: it tells you which waitlist to join, not only whether the one you already joined will move.
Which waitlist confirms most often: GNWL, RLWL, PQWL or TQWL?
GNWL, by a wide margin. The general waitlist gets every cancellation on the train's full run plus unused quotas released before the chart. RLWL and PQWL clear only from a small pool of berths at one station or one stretch, so they move slowly. TQWL, the Tatkal waitlist, clears last and seldom confirms. The same number means very different things on each.
Where do I find my PNR number?
It is the ten-digit number printed at the top left of an Indian Railways ticket, and it is in the SMS and email you received when the booking was made. In the IRCTC app it appears under My Bookings. One PNR covers everyone booked together on that ticket, up to six passengers.
What does RAC mean on a PNR status?
RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation. You may board the train and you have a seat, shared with another RAC passenger, usually the side-lower berth. Many RAC tickets become a full berth once the chart is prepared and no-shows are released.
Will my waiting list ticket get confirmed?
It depends on the waitlist type far more than on the number. A General waitlist on a long-distance train clears far more often than a Remote Location or Pooled Quota waitlist at the same number. The ticket can move until the chart is prepared, which is roughly four hours before departure, and after that the status is final.
When is the train chart prepared?
Usually about four hours before the train departs from its originating station. For trains leaving very early in the morning, the chart is prepared the previous evening. Once it is out, waitlisted tickets no longer move and confirmed berths are fixed.
Why does my PNR say no booking found?
Three common reasons: a digit is mistyped, the journey is finished and the record has been flushed from the railway's system, or the ticket was booked in the last few minutes and has not been generated yet. Check the number against your ticket and try again.
Is checking PNR status here free?
Yes. There is no charge, no sign-up and no app to install, and your PNR is not stored.
Is this the official reservation status?
Yes. It is the live reservation status for your PNR, shown exactly as it stands, with nothing added or interpreted. YaatriGan is an independent service and is not affiliated with Indian Railways or IRCTC.