PNR enquiry is an online tool by Indian Railways that provides passengers with all the latest information related to their train trip using the ticket PNR number. PNR number or Passenger Name Record is the unique 10-digit number. Indian Railways assigns to every passenger upon purchasing an Indian Railway ticket. The information may include details of their journey, including reservation status, live train running status, train schedule and more. If you are planning a trip and want to track information about your train, check out this article about Indian Railway PNR Enquiry.
Railway PNR Number
All passengers travelling by Indian Railways are allotted a unique PNR number at the time of ticket booking, regardless of their ticket status. A PNR number is located at the top right of the e-ticket and top left corner of the ticket booked via the railway counter. It comprises 10 digits, out of which the first 3 digits denote the PRS or Passenger Reservation System. PRS books the tickets. The formation of last 7 digits numbers is at random to make the PNR number unique.
Railways database stores the PNR number to ensure a smooth, accessible and effective process for the railway department and travellers. All PNR numbers removes permanently from the Indian Railways database after 9 months.
What Data is Stored in IRCTC PNR Number?
Indian Railways PNR numbers store passengers’ personal and travel-related information with utmost security. It contains personal details such as age, sex, date of birth and phone number. The trip-related information is ticket number, date of travel, coach and seat number, berth preference, source and destination station, travel class, payment mode and more.
What Does a PNR Status Signify?
Your ticket can have one of the below-mentioned codes that you may receive on booking your tickets. Each signifies the status of your train ticket bookings.
Here’s a list of abbreviations of train PNR status you may encounter on your ticket and what they stand for:
- CNF – Ticket confirmed.
- CAN- Cancelled.
- WL- Waiting List.
- RAC- Reservation Against Cancellation.
- GNWL- General Waiting List.
- PQWL- Pooled Quota Waiting List. (Very low chances of getting confirmation).
- RLWL- Remote Location Waiting List (For any two important intermediate railway stations).
- TQWL- Tatkal Quota Waiting List (For Tatkal tickets).
- NOSB- No Seat berth (Reservation without berth for children aged 5 to 12 years)
Railway PNR Enquiry
PNR enquiry is a service provided by Indian Railways to help you find real-time updates such as the status of waitlisted tickets, train schedule, train running status, and more. It is a great resource for those looking to plan their travel by train in India. Railway PNR enquiry is a simple and easy-to-use tool for those travelling on Indian trains.
Why is the Train PNR Enquiry Important?
Your PNR holds the exact status of your ticket at the time of reservation, ranging from confirmed, RAC – Reservation against Cancellation or WL – Waitlisted status, etc. For both RAC and Waitlisted tickets, PNR status may get upgraded to confirmed if other passengers on the trip cancel their reservations. So, it’s recommended that you review your ticket status periodically using the Railway PNR enquiry system before train boarding.
Apart from this, you can enquire about the train’s origin and destination stations, travel class, quota, boarding point, and charting status. IRCTC’s live PNR status freezes after the final chart preparation.
Ways to Enquire Railway PNR Status?
The PNR status checking feature has made it easy for commuters to track all booking details, ticket confirmation or cancellation details and berth details from their homes.
You can easily check your live IRCTC PNR status by using Railway PNR enquiry in the following ways:
- Visiting the official Railways website.
- Dialling 139 from your mobile.
- Visiting the physical Railways enquiry counters.
- Viewing the final reservation chart released three hours before the departure.
- Using Rail enquiry app and website.
How to Use Rail Apps for PNR Enquiry
Nowadays, various applications have been launched for users on Android, iOS and Windows-based platforms. You can install one of these apps to learn about reservation status, coach position, platform number and more on the go.
Steps to Perform PNR Enquiry on Mobile Apps:
- Download a train app and sign up.
- Access the option to Check PNR Status.
- Type in your PNR number and view the trip details.
PNR Enquiry and Train Chart Preparation
Indian Railways usually does charting for all trains a few hours before the departure time. Once you buy your train ticket, It stores your PNR number and ticket status in the database. It further uses during final chart preparation. All the PNR numbers for a particular train are grouped to create a passenger chart for different coaches. This chart excludes the waitlisted passenger details.
Real-time checking of PNR status on mobile is a very convenient way to get your journey updates from the comforts of your home or office. You can think of PNR numbers as the key to making informed decisions when chalking your rail trip plan. From enquiring about your berth, train schedule to live train running status, you need your PNR number.
RailMitra is a wonderful app to plan your train trip and track every useful information along the way. It boasts several AI-backed smart tools, such as the train running information, order food on the train, a PNR status check, and more to guarantee a memorable train ride.
