Seat Availability in Train: Know the Process and Full Details

Seat availability in trains is an essential factor because the availability of seats in each train is unpredictable and varies from time to time. It is advisable to check the seat availability of the train, especially if a group of people is to travel to the same destination. Knowing about the seat availability will help you choose the right train according to your schedule and budget as there may be many trains running to your destination.

In current times, everyone is a smartphone user and is using the Internet. Whenever we have to travel by train, we first think whether a seat is available on the train or not. If you are thinking of taking a ticket on the train or you have a plan for the upcoming journey, then you must search the IRCTC seat availability before going to the ticket counter. Learn about how to find seat availability on a train!

Benefits of Checking Seat Availability in Train

The reservation system (both offline and online) for the seat allocation process in Indian Railways opens 120 days before the date of travel for long-distance trains. Seats/berths are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, which means that the earlier you reserve the tickets after checking the seat availability, the higher are your chances of getting your ticket confirmed. The allocation of more tickets on a particular train on a special day reduces seat availability. Once the availability of confirmed seats in a train is exhausted, RAC and waiting list tickets are issued to a specific predetermined limit.

How to Check Seat Availability

Process for Checking IRCTC Seat Availability in Trains

1. To check the seat availability online, first of all, you have to go to the official website of IRCTC.
2. LOGIN option will appear on the website. Click on it and log in by filling in your user ID, password and captcha. If you do not have your login ID for IRCTC, you can create your ID by clicking on the REGISTER option that appears next to the login. For registration, you will have to provide personal information like mobile number, name, email ID and address. You can log in after creating an ID.
3. After logging in, a box with Book Your Ticket will appear, in which you will have to fill the details of your journey. Enter the name of the station from where you want to catch the train and the destination station where you want to travel. Select the date and click on Find Trains shown below.
4. After this, you will see a complete list of all trains running between the two selected stations. An option of Check Availability & Fare will appear. Also, opportunities for Sleeper Class, AC 3 Tier, AC 2 Tier, AC First Class, AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car will be available.
5. Apart from this, there will also be an option of quotas, such as General, Senior Citizen, Ladies, Divyang, Tatkal and Premium Tatkal. By clicking Check Availability & Fare, you can see how many seats are available in which train, which class and which quota and how much is the fare.

How to Check Seat Availability in Trains without IRCTC

If you have not created an account on IRCTC, there is nothing to worry about it. Even without this, you can know the availability of seats in any train with the help from Indian Railways online enquiry system of RailMitra.

• For the train in which you want to see the seat availability, you must have the information about the train number, date of travel, source station, destination station, class of travel and quota. By filling all this information, you can quickly know the status of seat availability in your desired train.

• It will show all the trains on the desired route for your information. The result of your search will show the name, class, origin, departure and arrival time of the train, the day of the week it runs. After the list appears, you can select a train to know more information about train seat booking availability in its class and quota.

• Seat availability information can also be obtained by visiting the Indian Railway Inquiry’s seat availability portal, http://www.indianrail.gov.in/enquiry/SEAT/SeatAvailability.html. While visiting this web page; you will get the ‘Get Availability’ button. Click on it. By filling the required information on this page, you can get the information you want.

By Visiting the Railway Station

The second available option to check the seat availability is visiting the nearest railway station. After filling the required form and submitting it over the counter, you can get the details of the rail fare.

Check Seat Availability in the Last Hour of the Departure Time

Passengers can check the availability of seats/berths even an hour before the departure of the train. There is a facility to check the online reservation chart on the website of IRCTC. For this facility, the passengers will have to give the train number or the name of the train and after selecting the boarding station, click on the option of get train chart. After this, you will know whether there is seat availability in the selected trains.

Online Chart Preparation Facility Is Now Available in Trains

Railway has made the reservation chart facility online. Now you can find out on which coach the seat is vacant on your mobile. Till now, after making the reservation chart, you could get the information about the empty seats at the reservation counter, but now you will be able to do this work only on a mobile. Its other significant advantage will be that you will not have to go to TTE for information about seats. Passengers will also know on mobile which berth is empty in which coach. You will be able to book your favourite seat online.

Also Read: Why Travelers don’t get their preferred berth while booking Train Tickets

Apart from this, if a relative or acquaintance is travelling and you have to make a reservation next to them, then you can also make such a booking. You will get this information from the online reservation chart. Moreover, you can see whether the berth in that coach is empty or not. Right now, you could only see the category-wise seat availability, but now you will get complete information.

How to Avail This Facility

• Search by writing IRCTC Reservation Chart on Google.
• Open the IRCTC Reservation Charts official website.
• Now you have to enter the information about the train and boarding station.
• As soon as the information is filled, click on the option of Get Train Chart. Here you will get the details of vacant seats.
• After this, you can book vacant seats from here.
• This ticket will be available at a rate of 10 per cent less than the regular ticket.
• This facility can be used only after the creation of the reservation chart.

Also Read: Train Seat Map Layout and Coach Position Numbering in Indian Railways