The huge Indian Railway System has many abbreviations just like IR for Indian Railway. When a ticket is booked, a passenger gets its PNR (Passenger Name Record) number. And sometime in spite of PNR as number they get some abbreviations mentioned there like- CNF, CAN/MOD, RAC etc. Many travelers are not aware of these abbreviations which create confusion. These vague short-forms make passengers difficult to understand what exactly Railway wants to interpret to them. So here we have come up with some of the important abbreviations which will prove useful to the commuters while traveling by IR. This will eventually help you to understand the status of your rail ticket.
CAN/MOD: (cancelled or modified)
While checking status of your ticket it appears on your screen when you cancelled your journey ticket. This also appears when the ticket is been modified i.e. it is proponed or postponed.
CNF: (Confirmed Booking)
It appears on the ticket when it is being confirmed. A confirmed coach and berth number is also mentioned in the ticket along with the CNF status.
RAC: (Reservation Against Cancellation)
It refers to the case where the passenger doesn’t have the reserved berth but can still board the train. RAC traveler requires sharing the berth with someone and in any case berth is available against cancellation, he is offered the same on the priority basis. They usually need to occupy the two side-chairs which can be converted into berth, if required.
WL: (Waiting List)
When passenger don’t get any seat, their ticket falls in the Waiting List. A WL passenger is not allowed to board the train until they get the seat against the cancellation. Once the maximum numbers of waiting list tickets are issued, no more booking is allowed and a message REGRET is displayed.
RAC/WL:
Sometimes passengers get two numbers; for example: WL 10/WL 4, WL 10/RAC 4, WL 10/CNF. This looks a bit confusing but they are not. These two numbers simply denotes the status of the ticket at the time you booked the ticket and the current status of your ticket. WL 10/WL 4 denotes that the status of your ticket was waiting list 10 and now it is moved towards waiting list 4, same if for other two. But remember, you can’t board the train until and unless your ticket is being confirmed or you get a RAC ticket. Just as in WL 10/WL 4, a passenger can’t board the train but on the other two tickets passengers can.
CK: (Tatkal)
When a ticket is booked under the Tatkal Quota, you see CK as your status. According to the Indian Railway Rule, one can book an emergency ticket under the Tatkal Quota i.e. 24 hours before the journey. A confirmed coach and berth number is allocated on confirmed Tatkal Ticket.
CKWL: (Tatkal Waiting List)
When a Tatkal ticket is not confirmed; it falls under CKWL. Unlike General WL, here a passenger gets a confirmed ticket with coach and berth number on its confirmation. In General WL the ticket gets transfer to RAC first and if there is any further cancellation then it gets transfer to Confirmed ticket.
PQWL: (Pooled Quota Waiting List)
It appears on your ticket when you book ticket under the railway quota.
GNWL: (General Waiting List)
This stands for General Reservation Waiting List, one cannot board a train until it changes to RAC or CNF status.
REGRET/WL:
This generally appears at the time of the booking of the ticket which denotes no further reservation is permitted.
CAN/MOD: (cancelled or modified)
While checking status of your ticket it appears on your screen when you cancelled your journey ticket. This also appears when the ticket is been modified i.e. it is proponed or postponed.
CNF: (Confirmed Booking)
It appears on the ticket when it is being confirmed. A confirmed coach and berth number is also mentioned in the ticket along with the CNF status.
RAC: (Reservation Against Cancellation)
It refers to the case where the passenger doesn’t have the reserved berth but can still board the train. RAC traveler requires sharing the berth with someone and in any case berth is available against cancellation, he is offered the same on the priority basis. They usually need to occupy the two side-chairs which can be converted into berth, if required.
WL: (Waiting List)
When passenger don’t get any seat, their ticket falls in the Waiting List. A WL passenger is not allowed to board the train until they get the seat against the cancellation. Once the maximum numbers of waiting list tickets are issued, no more booking is allowed and a message REGRET is displayed.
RAC/WL:
Sometimes passengers get two numbers; for example: WL 10/WL 4, WL 10/RAC 4, WL 10/CNF. This looks a bit confusing but they are not. These two numbers simply denotes the status of the ticket at the time you booked the ticket and the current status of your ticket. WL 10/WL 4 denotes that the status of your ticket was waiting list 10 and now it is moved towards waiting list 4, same if for other two. But remember, you can’t board the train until and unless your ticket is being confirmed or you get a RAC ticket. Just as in WL 10/WL 4, a passenger can’t board the train but on the other two tickets passengers can.
CK: (Tatkal)
When a ticket is booked under the Tatkal Quota, you see CK as your status. According to the Indian Railway Rule, one can book an emergency ticket under the Tatkal Quota i.e. 24 hours before the journey. A confirmed coach and berth number is allocated on confirmed Tatkal Ticket.
CKWL: (Tatkal Waiting List)
When a Tatkal ticket is not confirmed; it falls under CKWL. Unlike General WL, here a passenger gets a confirmed ticket with coach and berth number on its confirmation. In General WL the ticket gets transfer to RAC first and if there is any further cancellation then it gets transfer to Confirmed ticket.
PQWL: (Pooled Quota Waiting List)
It appears on your ticket when you book ticket under the railway quota.
GNWL: (General Waiting List)
This stands for General Reservation Waiting List, one cannot board a train until it changes to RAC or CNF status.
REGRET/WL:
This generally appears at the time of the booking of the ticket which denotes no further reservation is permitted.