RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation, which is a type of ticket that can be sold for travel on the Indian Railways. It ensures the possibility of travel on the train, but it does not guarantee a berth. A berth will be allocated to the ticket holder who reserves an RAC ticket if passengers who already have a confirmed ticket do not board before the train departure or get their confirmed ticket cancelled. A berth is split into two seats for two RAC ticket holders, and an RAC ticket holder is given an empty berth if there are any last-minute cancellations, if any quota remains unsold, or if any confirmed ticket holders are given a free upgrade according to seat availability in upper class. If this happens, the other RAC ticket holder can then convert the two seats into a berth.

Generally, RAC/WL tickets will have two numbers - RAC8/RAC2, WL20/WL15, WL12/RAC2, etc. The first number shows the status of the ticket at the time of booking, and the second number after the slash (/) shows the current status of the ticket. So, RAC8/RAC2 means that when the ticket was purchased, it was the 8th such ticket under the RAC category, which has moved 6 places after 6 cancellations. It can be assumed that it was the 8th ticket in the queue and is now the 2nd.

Having an RAC ticket means that it is possible to travel without a confirmed berth allocation. A passenger with an RAC ticket is allowed in the coach and can share a berth with another RAC ticket holder. While its not a guarantee that these bookings will always convert to a confirmed ticket, sometimes when a passenger with a confirmed status does not show up, RAC quota travelers can get their own seat. If a confirmed passenger does not board the train, a full berth is allotted to the passenger with an RAC ticket.

In case of cancellation of an RAC ticket, it can be canceled up to 30 minutes before the departure of the train from the original station with minimal cancellation charges. If the train is late more than 3 hours of the scheduled departure time, then the full fare will be refunded to the passenger on the condition that the ticket was canceled before the departure of the train. If the train is canceled, then the whole fare amount will be refunded to the passenger without any cancellation charges[[6]](https://www.ndtv.com/bus...