Railways looking into eliminating RAC for train journey
Railways is reviewing the Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) facility due to passenger discomfort during travel. The existing system charges full fares for shared berths, raising concerns about fairness. Issues arise, particularly when male and female passengers share the same berth space, leading to uncomfortable situations. A parliamentary panel has also recommended the review of this…
The Indian Railways is exploring the possibility of eliminating the Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) facility, which currently allows two passengers to share a single berth while being charged full fare for a full berth. This move is being considered due to concerns about passenger convenience and the need to reassess a provision that has been part of the reservation system for many years.
An official stated that it may not be appropriate to charge the full fare when a passenger is not getting full sleeping space. The RAC facility also causes discomfort when the same seat is allotted to a male and a female passenger, with train ticket examiners facing difficulties in finding alternative arrangements in such cases.
A parliamentary panel has recommended a review of the existing arrangement to ensure passengers are not charged full fares without receiving the full benefits of a proper berth. RAC was introduced during a time when ticket reservations were largely handled manually, with no electronic system to dynamically track cancellations and vacant berths.
This arrangement allowed two passengers to travel on a single berth, with the potential for one passenger to get a full berth if another passenger cancelled their ticket.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
