Railways May Scrap RAC Ticket System

Indian Railways is considering discontinuing the decades-old Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) facility, which allows two passengers to share a single berth despite paying the full ticket fare.

The proposal is being examined following concerns over passenger discomfort and the fairness of charging full fares for shared sleeping accommodation. Under the existing system, two RAC passengers share a side-lower berth, using it as seating space during the day and sharing it for sleeping at night.

A parliamentary panel has also questioned the full-fare policy and recommended a review of the arrangement. Issues such as inconvenience for male and female passengers sharing a berth and difficulties faced by train ticket examiners in arranging alternatives have further highlighted the concerns.

Introduced when railway reservations were managed manually, RAC helped accommodate more passengers by utilising berths freed up through cancellations. Although computerised reservation systems have since improved berth allocation, the facility has continued.

The Railway Ministry is now examining whether the system should be discontinued. However, no final decision has been announced yet.