How to Check Booking Status this Chhath and Avoid Waitlist Worries

Chhath Mahaparv is here and everyone is either applying for holiday leaves or is already heading towards their hometowns. Most passengers heading home to celebrate Chhath face a common issue: Booking Status Confirmation. Although they book the ticket, passengers often end up getting Waiting List tickets especially during festive rush like Chhath.

Although Chhath is celebrated all around the country, the rush towards eastern states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh is the highest. During the festival, train coaches turn into mini houses preparing for the festival. Sugarcane sticks, Bamboo Baskets, Daabh, Coconuts, Diyas and Bamboo Soops are visible all around, creating a mini Chhath like vibe.

Getting a confirmed train ticket in this festive season is difficult, but not impossible. Passengers who got a Waiting List ticket must check their booking status periodically. Checking Booking Status helps you track what is your current situation and has it been upgraded to Confirmed status or not.

Why Checking Your Booking Status Matters

Indian Railways has tightened the rules regarding Waiting List passengers. Waiting List tickets booked online are automatically cancelled and the refunds transferred. Waiting list tickets booked at the railway reservation counter needed to be cancelled manually. However, waiting list tickets even booked offline are now barred from travelling on the trains.

Passengers travelling with the Waiting List ticket would be fined ₹440 on AC coaches and ₹250 for Sleeper coaches. This fine would be on top of the train fare from the Origin Station to the Final Station. Waiting List passengers can still travel but in unreserved coaches only.

Thus, it is very important for the passengers to check the Booking Status. Even if your ticket has been confirmed, checking Booking Status would help you find your seat and travel details.

What is Booking Status?

Booking Status is just another name for PNR Status. PNR stands for Passenger Name Record and refers to a 10 digit number which is uniquely provided with every booking on Indian Railways.

Using this PNR Number passengers can track the live status of their booking. For passengers on the Waiting List queue, this serves as a vital tool to track their booking status live. If the booking has already been confirmed, then PNR Status check provides Passenger details, train details, journey details and even the booking details. With a PNR number you can also check if the train chart has been prepared or not. 

Although there are many categories of booking status, we mostly encounter these three popular status:

• Confirmed (CNF): Your booking is Confirmed and you would be allotted a berth.

• Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC): You have to share your berth with another passenger.

• Waiting List (WL): Your booking is Not Confirmed and you would not be allowed to travel. 

How to Check Your Train Booking Status on RailMitra

You can easily check your booking status with the help of RailMitra application or the website. The application is available on both Android as well as iOS.

Just follow these simple and easy steps:

1. Go to RailMitra.com or install the application.
2. Select PNR Status option.
3. Enter 10-digit PNR Number and click on Check Status

You will be easily able to view your booking status with real time updates.

Tips to Stay Ahead of the Waiting List

During the times of high festive rush like Chhath and Diwali, passengers often encounter waiting list issues. However this issue is avoidable and can be tackled by following certain steps:

• Try to Book Early: Book as early as possible. Ticket booking opens 60 days before the departure of the train. Try to book here to avoid Waiting List worries.

• Be Flexible in Your Travel Schedule: If there are no seats available on your chosen date, try to change the travel dates. Many times there are vacant seats on the next day.

• Check for Festive Special Trains: Indian Railways launches special trains during the times of festival. If regular trains are filled you can look for seats in these special trains.

• Opt for Vikalp Scheme: Indian Railways has launched Vikalp scheme where passengers with Waiting List tickets can switch trains running on similar routes.

• Use Tatkal Carefully: If you were not able to book the tickets 60 days before the date of departure and the seats are now all booked, look out for Tatkal ticket booking. This service allows passengers to book confirmed train tickets just one day before the date of departure. Charges are a bit high but manageable.

• Keep Checking Your Booking Status: Waiting List tickets do get confirmed if enough number of the confirmed train tickets are cancelled. Keep checking your booking status periodically for any updates.

How RailMitra Makes Chhath Travel Smooth

RailMitra is always ready to provide essential information and services to the passengers for a comfortable and memorable train journey. Here’s how RailMitra helps:

• Check Train Seat Availability: With RailMitra you can check the number of seats that can be booked in a train using the train seat availability. This service ensures that you are aware of the available seats in the train and thus book tickets accordingly.

• Check Live Train Status: During the high rush of the festive season, trains are often delayed. Passengers can face great unease waiting for long hours at the crowded railway stations. You can track the train’s location live with the help of live train running station service. You can also track the updated arrival/ departure timings and even see the platform number on which the train will arrive. 

• Order Satvik Food in train: If you are craving for some pure vegetarian, Satvik food in train look no further than RailMitra. RailMitra provides 100% pure veg food in train brought by FSSAI approved vendors in hygienic and safe packaging. 

At RailMitra we make sure that all the passengers heading towards their hometowns for this pious festival, get to travel peacefully and without any unnecessary problems.

Concluding Remarks

Chhath is not just another festival for Eastern India. It is a thread that connects the lives and emotions of millions of devotees in the region. Every year, thousands of migrants return to their hometown in a hurry with only one wish in their heart: to offer the sacred Ardhya in time.

Passengers are often troubled by the long Waiting list worries for booking the tickets. Without adequate information and awareness, many passengers are unable to travel as their booking status does not get confirmed. In this blog we tried to explain the subject matter at hand and suggested important tips and techniques that will keep you ahead of any Waitlisting problems.

So before you pack your Sugarcane sticks, Daura and Thekua, don’t forget to look up RailMitra’s PNR Status first. We wish you a very happy and prosperous Chhath Puja this year.