PNR status
Where does your ticket actually stand?
Put in the ten-digit number from your ticket and you see where every passenger on it stands right now: the live status, what it was booked as, and whether the chart has been prepared — which is the moment a waitlist stops moving.
Your PNR is never stored. It is used once to show your status, and then it is gone.
Reading your result
Two columns matter, and they are deliberately shown side by side. Booked as is where the ticket started. Now is where it stands. A ticket that reads GNWL/45 at booking and CNF/B2/34 today has moved 45 places; one that still reads WL 12 has not moved at all. Collapsing those two into a single word would throw away the only thing that tells you which way your ticket is travelling.
| What you see | What it means | Can you board? |
|---|---|---|
| CNF | Confirmed, with a coach and berth allotted. | Yes. |
| RAC | Reservation Against Cancellation — you have a seat to share, and often a full berth once the chart is out. | Yes, you can travel. |
| WL | Still waitlisted. The number is your place in the queue for that quota. | Not unless it clears before the chart. |
| CAN | The ticket was cancelled. | No. |
The waitlist letters in front — GNWL, RLWL, PQWL, TQWL — decide how likely it is to clear at all, and they differ far more than most travellers expect. The difference between the waitlist types is worth two minutes before you decide whether to hold or rebook. For the full list of every status code you can see, read PNR status explained.
The chart is the deadline
A waitlisted ticket can move right up until the chart is prepared, which normally happens around four hours before the train leaves its origin, and the night before for early-morning departures. Until then, every cancellation ahead of you helps. After it, your status is final. That is why this page shows the chart line: it tells you whether you are still waiting on something, or whether the answer is in. When the chart is prepared, in detail.
If it is still waitlisted
Checking again more often does not change anything. What does change the outcome is knowing whether this particular waitlist historically clears on this route and this date, and whether another train, another quota, or boarding from an earlier station would put you in a queue that actually moves. That is the question YaatriGan was built to answer, and it is one search away.
The status is live and is shown exactly as it stands. Your PNR is not stored.
Questions people ask
How do I check my PNR status?
Enter the ten-digit PNR from your ticket or booking SMS at the top of this page and press Check status. You see every passenger on the booking at once: the live status, what each was booked as, and whether the chart has been prepared.
Where do I find my PNR number?
It is the ten-digit number printed at the top left of an Indian Railways ticket, and it is in the SMS and email you received when the booking was made. In the IRCTC app it appears under My Bookings. One PNR covers everyone booked together on that ticket, up to six passengers.
What does RAC mean on a PNR status?
RAC stands for Reservation Against Cancellation. You may board the train and you have a seat, shared with another RAC passenger, usually the side-lower berth. Many RAC tickets become a full berth once the chart is prepared and no-shows are released.
Will my waiting list ticket get confirmed?
It depends on the waitlist type far more than on the number. A General waitlist on a long-distance train clears far more often than a Remote Location or Pooled Quota waitlist at the same number. The ticket can move until the chart is prepared, which is roughly four hours before departure, and after that the status is final.
When is the train chart prepared?
Usually about four hours before the train departs from its originating station. For trains leaving very early in the morning, the chart is prepared the previous evening. Once it is out, waitlisted tickets no longer move and confirmed berths are fixed.
Why does my PNR say no booking found?
Three common reasons: a digit is mistyped, the journey is finished and the record has been flushed from the railway's system, or the ticket was booked in the last few minutes and has not been generated yet. Check the number against your ticket and try again.
Is checking PNR status here free?
Yes. There is no charge, no sign-up and no app to install, and your PNR is not stored.
Is this the official reservation status?
Yes. It is the live reservation status for your PNR, shown exactly as it stands, with nothing added or interpreted. YaatriGan is an independent service and is not affiliated with Indian Railways or IRCTC.