End of RAC in trains? Indian Railways may eliminate shared berth booking

The Railways is considering eliminating the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation)  facility, according to reports. This move comes amid complaints about passenger comfort in the RAC category, wherein two passengers are allotted a single berth and charged the full amount.

Charging a passenger full fare when he or she is unable to find a sleeping space would be inappropriate, the Times of India quoted a senior unnamed official.

As per the RAC booking, the passengers have to share the seat and the full berth becomes available only when a confirmed passenger cancels their reservation during the journey, after which the RAC ticket holder receives the upgrade.

The RAC was introduced when railway ticket reservations were largely done manually. The facility becomes even more problematic when the same seat is allocated to a male and a female passenger. Train ticket checkers face difficulties in finding alternative arrangements.

In February, the Parliament panel had urged Indian Railways to refund partial fares for RAC passengers not receiving full berths, citing unjust charges.  In the report titled ‘Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways’, tabled in Parliament, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called the RAC system unjustified and urged the Ministry to devise a mechanism to refund partial fare to the customer/traveler who could not get a full berth but had to pay full charges at the time of boarding.

Other options being explored by the Railways include providing a full berth to passengers instead of making two passengers share one, charging a lower fare for passengers and introducing an alternative upgrade arrangement to improve berth allocation.