Checking PNR status doesn’t need a lot of effort. You can check it either online using different mobile applications or websites, or offline using the call and SMS services. But to make PNR status live enquiry easier for passengers like you, here is all that you need to know about the different PNR status and how the tickets move up the confirmation ladder.
Different Types of PNR Status
Here are the different types of PNR status you can come across while making a PNR enquiry and what they mean:
- Confirm (CNF)
If your PNR status shows the abbreviation CNF, it simply means that your ticket is confirmed and you will be allotted a berth once the final chart for your train is prepared.
- No Seat Berth (NOSB)
You are most likely to find an NOSB (No Seat Berth) PNR status for the tickets bought for child passengers who are below the age of 12. This is because the little ones are not assigned berths.
- Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC)
If your PNR status shows RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation), it means that you can board the train with your ticket but will be allotted a berth only against cancellation.
- Waiting List (WL)
If your PNR status shows the abbreviation WL, it means you have been waitlisted and cannot board the train unless your ticket either gets confirmed or becomes RAC.
- General Waiting List (GNWL)
The general waiting list is one of the different types of waiting lists. If your PNR status shows the abbreviation GNWL, it means you are on the general waiting list and can board the train only if the status changes to either RAC or CNF.
- Pooled Quota Waiting List (PQWL)
If your PNR status shows the abbreviation PQWL, it means that the ticket is put on the pooled quota waiting list. You are likely to be on this type of waiting list if you have booked a ticket for traveling from the source station to any station before the train destination.
- Tatkal Waiting List (TQWL)
Another one of the different types of waiting lists is the tatkal waiting list. If your PNR status shows the abbreviation TQWL, it means the ticket you booked on tatkal is on the waiting list.
- Remote Location Waiting List (RLWL)
If your PNR status shows the abbreviation RLWL, it means that the ticket is put on the remote location waiting list. You are likely to be on this type of waiting list if you have booked a ticket for traveling between the intermediate stations of the train.
- Road Side Waiting List (RSWL)
If you will come across the abbreviation RSWL in your PNR status, it means that your ticket is under the roadside waiting list. A ticket is put under this type of waiting list if it is booked for traveling to a roadside station from the starting station of the train.
- Canceled (CAN)
If your PNR status shows the abbreviation CAN, it means that your ticket is canceled and therefore you can’t board the train. It can be either because of the ticket not getting confirmed from the waiting list or because of your train getting canceled. Moreover, the PNR status will also show CAN if the ticket is canceled from your side.
Moving from WL to RAC/CNF
If your ticket was put on the waiting list when you bought it, you should keep checking it regularly till you board the train. The tickets on the waiting list move up the queue in ascending order. While not all waiting list tickets make it up the list, the ones that do first move to RAC and then get confirmed. The tickets under the GNWL have the highest chances of getting confirmed whereas the chances of confirmation are lower for the tickets under the other types of waiting lists.
Moving from RAC to CNF
If from WL your ticket enters the RAC queue, you can be sure to get to board the train. Just like for the WL, the tickets move in ascending order. And even if your ticket doesn’t get confirmed, you will be allotted a berth which you will have to share with another passenger having a RAC ticket.
RAC tickets are likely to get confirmed only under the following circumstances:
- A free upgrade as per the upper-class seat availability
- Any passenger having a confirm ticket doesn’t board the train
- Last-minute ticket cancellations
- The seats for the reserved quota is unsold
Hope knowing all this makes the PNR status live enquiry easier for you. Also, you can print train ticket using PNR number at pnrstatus.io.
