List of Indian Railways Abbreviations That You Need to Know
We all come across different shortcuts and abbreviations used in Indian railways while we are travelling by train. You can understand some of them by context but some abbreviations are too technical to understand.
While booking a train ticket, you see different railway ticket booking abbreviations. You might be wondering why knowing IRCTC abbreviations is important. Remember that to ensure a safe and secure journey, you should be aware of all the terminologies and core abbreviations in railways. So here is a list of commonly used abbreviations used in Indian railways.
Learn Indian Railways Abbreviations of Ticket Booking, PNR, Trains, Stations, Classes and More!
Technical acronyms and core abbreviation in Indian Railways
A
ABS Automatic Block Signalling
ACD Anti-Collision Device
AE Automatic Emergency or Auto-Emergency (a type of brake system)
AFTC Audio Frequency Track Circuiting
AIMS Accounting Information Management System (AIMS portal)
ATC Automated Train Control
ATP Automatic Train Protection
AVB Automatic Vacuum Brake
B
BPC Brake Power Certificate (issued before train departure)
BS Braking in Series configuration
BSL Block Section Limit
C
CDO Coaching Depot
CLS Colour-light signalling
COCR Confirmatory Oscillograph Car Run
COFC Container on a flat car
CTC Centralised Traffic Control
CTR Complete Track Renewal
CWR Continuous Welded Rail (0.5km and longer sections of welded rail)
D
DAC Digital Axle Counter
DLBI Double Line Block Instrument
DEMU Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit
DETC Diesel-Electric Tower Car
DHMU Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Unit (hydraulic transmission DMU)
DMU Diesel Multiple Unit
DP Duty Pass
DPC Driving Power Car
DS Disconnecting Switch (to switch off OHE power to loco circuits)
DSC Dual-Stacked Container service (or Double-Stacked Container)
E
ECR Empty Coaching Rake
EFC Eastern Freight Corridor
ELCM Electronic Load Control Module (governor for DEMUs)
EMU Electric Multiple Unit
EOG End-On Generator Car
ESM Electronic Signal Maintainer
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETCS European Train Control System
EY Empty (notation for empty rake in real-time train information systems)
F
FC Financial Commissioner/ Freight Corridor
FEDL Fully Electrified Double Line
FM Fouling Mark
FP Fouling Point; also Feed Pipe (at couplings of vehicles)
FOB Foot overbridge (a pedestrian overpass)
FOIS Freight operation information system
FRED Flashing rear end device (a warning lamp at the rear of a train)
FT Foreign tourist (annotation on reservation charts)
G
GTO Gate Turn-Off thyristor
H
HEP Head-end Power (power from the loco for the coaches)
HFTC High-Frequency Track Circuit
HOBC High-Output Ballast Cleaner
HOG Head-On Generator
HHPDMU High-Horsepower Diesel Electric Multiple Unit
HPDMU High-powered Diesel Multiple Unit
HSCB High-speed Circuit Breaker
HT High Tension
HTCBC High Tensile-strength Centre-Buffer Coupler
HTS High Tensile-strength Steel
I
IGBT Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
J
JRI Junction Route Indicator
JOHJunction of head – the point where the tongue rail approaches the main rail.
L
LTPDS Live Train Position Display System
LVC Last Vehicle Check (automated detection of rake integrity)
LWR Long Welded Rail (5-15 rails welded together in a section)
M
MACLS Multiple-Aspect Colour-Light signalling
MCB Master Circuit Breaker (in locos)
MCOMilitary control office
MEMU Mainline Electric Multiple Unit
M/L Mainline
MLRI Multi-Lamp Route Indicator
MNI Modified Non-Interlocked (in working timetables)
MOG Mid-On Generator Car
MOT Motoring (position of the master controller in loco)
N
NBT Neale’s Ball Token
NI Non-Interlocked (in working timetables)
NTES National Train Enquiry System
NX eNtrance-eXit (interlocking panels)
NV Non-vegetarian (meal or restaurant)
O
OCV Other Coaching Vehicle – non-passenger coaches, e.g., pantry cars.
OFC Optical Fibre Cable
OHE Overhead Equipment (or foreman for same)
OMSOscillation Monitoring System
OS Outstation
P
PCS Pneumatic Control System (loco shut-off/idling control which takes effect on the application of emergency brakes)
PCV Passenger Carrying Vehicle
PF Platform (sometimes P/F)
PI Panel Interlocking
POET Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminal
PRS Passenger Reservation System
PWI Permanent way inspector
R
RCC Remote Control Centre/ Railway convention committee
RE Railways Employee Staff on Duty for the train
REV Reverse motion (position of the master controller in loco), Reverser
RMSRailway mail service
ROBRoad over-bridge (i.e., road goes over train tracks)
ROSHAN Rolling Stock Health Analyst (accelerometers and other equipment that monitor coach movement and report deviations from normal behaviour).
RPC Resistance Power Control (or Compartment) (in EMU power cars)
RPFRailway pension fund/ Railway police force
RR Railway receipt, refreshment room
RRF Railway reserve fund
RS Roadside
RTRReady-to-run (modelling kits)
RTSA Rail travellers’ service agents
S
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (monitoring and control system for remote control of electric traction systems)
SCRA Special class railway apprentice
SE Superelevation (of the curved track)
S/LShunting Limit
SLBI Single Line Block Instrument
SMStation master
SOD Schedule of Dimensions
SPAD Signal Passed At Danger
SPTM Self-Printing Ticket Machine
SSDA Solid State Digital Axle Counter
SSI Solid State Interlocking
STR Schedule of Technical Requirements
STRI Stencil type Route Indicator
SW Single wire (of semaphore signals)
SWR Short Welded Rail (2-4 rails welded together in a section)
T
TAB Train Air Brake
TALQ Two-Aspect Lower Quadrant
TAWD Train Actuated Warning Device
TBTR Through Bridge Timber Renewal
TDRTicket Deposit Receipt (when surrendering ticket for cancellation/refund)
TFR Through Fitting Renewal
TLC Traction Locomotive Controller
TM Traction Motor
TMS Train Management System (train monitoring used in Bombay suburban sections)
TOFC Trailer on a flat car
T/outTurnout
TPC Traction Power Controller
TRC Track Recording Car
TRO Traction Rolling-stock Operations
TRR Through Rail Renewal
TRT Traffic Recovery Time (a kind of make-up time allotment in working timetable)
TSS Traction Substation
TSR Through Sleeper Renewal
TTR Through Turnout Renewal
TWR Through Weld Renewal
U
UPF Unity Power Factor
USFD Ultrasonic Flaw Detection
V
V Vegetarian (meal or restaurant)
VCC Vacuum Continuity Certificate (issued before train departure)
VCB Vacuum Circuit Breaker
VG Vehicle guidance (the record of identifying numbers for coaches/wagons that make up a train)
VLRR Vegetarian light refreshment room
VRP Voltage Regulating Panel
W
WF Weak Field
WILD Wheel Impact Load Detector
WMWorks manager
WSR Wheel Slip Relay
Railway ticket booking abbreviations:
ACCAir-conditioned coach or class
ACCC Air-conditioned chair car
CC Chair car
CNF Confirmed
ECC Executive chair car
FC First Class
GNWL General waiting list
LB Lower Berth
MB Middle Berth
PQWL Pooled quota waiting list
RAC Reservation against cancellation
RLWLRunning line waiting list
Sh. CCShatabdi chair car
SL Sleeper class
SLB Side Lower Berth
SUB Side Upper Berth
UB Upper Berth
WL Waiting list (or waitlisted)
W/TWithout ticket
1AFirst class Air-conditioned
2AAir-conditioned 2-tier sleeper
2S Second-class Sitting
3A Air-conditioned 3-tier sleeper
PNR abbreviation in railways:
CK Tatkal Quota
DF Defence Quota
EQ Emergency Quota
FT Foreign Tourist
GN General Quota
HO High Official / Headquarters
HP Handicapped quota
LD Ladies Quota
LQ Ladies Quota
PH Parliament House (parliamentary quota)
RJQReturn journey quota
SS Lower Berth Quota/ SS quota
R Fee/Res Fee Reservation fee (annotation on the ticket)
V Ch, Vou Ch Voucher charges (annotation on the ticket)
Abbreviation of railway stations and trains
CANTTCantonment stations
Exp/SfExpress/Superfast train
Jn Junction
M/EMail/Express
Mxd.Mixed train
Pass or PgrPassenger train
Raj Rajdhani Express
Rd Road (in station names)
RS Road-side
You can also know about the abbreviation for railway exam which will be very helpful if you are a railway exam aspirant. These IRCTC abbreviations are going to help you a lot in your exams. Now that you are aware of different abbreviations of IRCTC, don’t be confused next time you see any of these acronyms.