Passenger guide
How to check PNR status
A PNR is ten digits. It sits on the ticket, usually near the top of an e-ticket or on the left of a counter ticket. Check PNR status with that number to see each passenger's current seat: confirmed, RAC, or still waitlisted, and whether the reservation chart is out yet.
IndiaTrainStatus will look it up. This is a private site, not a government website, and it is not IRCTC. Cancel a ticket or file a TDR on irctc.co.in.
Where the number is printed
On the IRCTC e-ticket PDF the PNR is a 10-digit block near the header. SMS tickets put it in the first line or two. A counter ticket prints it on the left. If someone forwarded a screenshot, zoom in. A 6 and an 8 get swapped constantly.
Do not type the train number into the PNR box. Five digits is a train. Ten is a PNR. The page will refuse anything else.
Check PNR status on this site
Open the PNR status page. Enter the ten digits. Press Get status.
The result should name the train, the class, the quota, the journey date, and each passenger's booking status next to the current status. Chart status is a separate line. If a coach and berth are already allotted, those show too. Quota codes such as GN, TQ and PT are the general, Tatkal and Premium Tatkal buckets.
The request is signed on our server and sent to a railway data provider. We do not keep a file of your PNR in an account. There is no account. This browser can remember up to four recent numbers if you leave that setting on. If you share the result link, you share the PNR.
If the lookup fails, try the same number on the official enquiry at indianrail.gov.in. A mistyped digit is the usual mess. A booking made a few minutes ago can still be missing from enquiry.
What CNF, RAC and WL mean
These codes come from the passenger reservation system. They can still move until the final chart. Official enquiry pages print the same legends.
CNF means confirmed. After the chart is made you get a coach and berth. Before charting, CNF can show without a berth number. That is normal.
RAC is Reservation Against Cancellation. You can board. You may sit, or share a berth, until a full berth frees up. People do travel RAC overnight. It is cramped. It is still a valid reserved ticket.
WL is a waiting list. The number after it is your place in that queue. Smaller is better. The prefix tells you which queue:
| Code | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| GNWL | General waiting list, typically from the originating side. This list usually moves the most. |
| RLWL | Remote location waiting list, often from a station later on the route. It moves slower than GNWL. |
| PQWL | Pooled quota waiting list, shared across a group of stations. |
| TQWL | Tatkal waiting list. See Tatkal booking explained. |
| RQWL | Roadside quota waiting list, for certain intermediate stations. |
| REGRET / WL | No more booking in that class for the date. The list is closed. |
CAN or MOD means that passenger was cancelled or modified. RELEASED on official enquiry means the original accommodation was pulled and something else was given.
A mixed PNR is allowed. One name can be CNF and the next WL. Read every row. The banner at the top of our result is only a summary.
What “chart prepared” changes
The reservation chart is the passenger list the ticket staff work from. Once the first chart is out, confirmed names usually have a coach and berth. Current status can still change until the final chart.
Indian Railways changed first-chart timing from 10 July 2025, according to a Central Railway press note. For Mail and Express trains the first chart is now aimed at about eight hours before scheduled departure, instead of four. Trains leaving between 05:00 and 14:00 get that first chart by 21:00 the previous day. Trains leaving between 14:00 and 05:00 get it eight hours before departure. The final chart is still prepared about 30 minutes before departure. Vacant berths can still be sold until then.
If our page and the official enquiry disagree, trust the official chart and the ticket checking staff. Platforms and last-minute coach changes show up at the station, not in a browser.
Waitlisted e-tickets after the final chart
IRCTC's waitlisted e-ticket note is blunt. If every passenger on the PNR is still waitlisted after chart preparation, the names are dropped. They should not board the reserved coach. Travelling anyway is treated as travelling without a ticket. IRCTC cancels those e-tickets after the chart and refunds through the original payment.
Partly confirmed, partly waitlisted PNRs stay on the chart, including the waitlisted names. That is a different case. Do not guess from a friend's ticket. Read your own rows.
After you have a status
If the ticket is confirmed and you travel today, open live train status with the train number. Delay at the last reported station is the number that actually matters for a pickup.
If it is still waitlisted, keep checking. Lists move when people cancel. Do not plan a tight connection on a WL 40. If you need another train, the fare calculator will show class-wise fares, including Tatkal when the data source returns it.
On the IndiaTrainStatus app you can save the PNR into My Trips. That snapshot stays on the device. It is handy on a bad platform network. It is not a railway account.
Festival specials use the same PNR
A PNR on a festival special train works the same way. The train number often starts with 0. Run dates are selected, not daily. If you are still hunting for a seat toward Diwali, Chhath or Christmas, start with the festival special trains hub and then check the PNR once you have booked.
Regular trains people fall back on include the Howrah Rajdhani Express and the Upasana Express. Those have ordinary PNRs too.