IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) offers ‘auto upgradation’ of class option in the online as well as offline (window) tickets. According to IRCTC's official website, railway facilitates the upgradation of tickets in the higher class for those waiting list passengers who have paid the entire fare.
The benefits of this facility are available only to those who have paid the fare in full (no concessions like Senior Citizen, etc has been availed) for the ticket. According to IRCTC, concession ticket / free pass holder, which include senior citizens who travel on concession, do not get the benefit of the facility of upgrading their tickets.
10 Things to know about Auto Upgradation scheme:
1. Automated upgradation is done by PRS (Passenger Reservation System) while preparing the chart. Train conductor and ticket examiner have no right to upgrade any passenger's ticket in a train.
2. If the passenger, whose ticket has been upgraded and has canceled his ticket, then he has to pay only the cancellation charge for the original class (not for the upgraded class).
3. According to IRCTC, upgradation on the ticket is done only to an upper class. For example, from sleeper to third AC, from third AC to second AC and second AC to First AC.
4. Under this scheme, the Confirm seat is given only to passengers with the waiting list. The remaining seats of the train are shifted to the current counter for booking. In such a situation, upgradation is not done if there is no waiting list in the train.
5. The berth of the Confirm Passenger, which has been upgraded to a higher category (e.g third AC to second AC), is allotted to the passengers of the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation / Waiting List) of that category (i.e. third AC). After this, if some seats are left vacant then the allotment is made to passengers having confirmed ticket in lower classes (Sleeper).
6. All passengers (maximum 6) can be upgraded together with a PNR.
7. The ticket of passengers are upgraded without asking them. However, if the passenger chooses 'No' in the Option for Upgradation while filling the form, then his PNR is not consedered to the upgradation of PRS.
8. You don’t have to pay any extra charges for this. Its a free of cost service provided by Indian Railways.
9. This scheme works on FCFS logic means First Come First Serve. If you have booked a waiting ticket and you got waiting number 3 then your chances to get seat in higher class will be at 3rd position, the waiting number 1 and 2 will occupy the seat in higher class first.
10. You should always check this check box at the time of booking a ticket because there will be additional chances to get the seats in higher class with no extra charges.
(Also read: IRCTC lunched mobile app Utsonmobile (UTS) to book Unreserved Tickets)
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