RAC and Waitlists explained.

I just have a doubt may be weird but wanted to know that if a woman has RAC ticket and boards the train will she be getting a woman fellow companion only next to her or it can be anybody(Security Issue) and does a RAC tickets gurantees that you will get a seat or only the one closer to get confirmed will get the seat . For e.g I heard If my ticket has RAC 160 or something I will not get the seat I might have to stand and go which is weird as I am paying the money and not a berth but I have the right to be seated and go .

Please answer my query asap Would be awaiting your replies.

It is not necessary that the fellow companion would be a woman. It will be the next person as per the RAC queue.

RAC gurantees a seat but not a berth.

what is the meaning of RS9 55

That would mean a RAC ticket. R for RAC, S9 coach number and 55 seat number.

"Thanks for replying , i was really tensed as my wife is coming by RAC so was worried thanks for clearing the doubts so she will definitely get a place to sit right ?"

Yes, RAC guarantees a seat.

Are you not allowed to travel with a Waitlisted ticket? Is it a rule?

Waitlisted ticket bought at a Counter allows you to travel in a reserved coach without a seat/berth. Waitlisted E ticket gets cancelled if it remains WL after charting, so obviously you are ticketless and cannot travel.

are you sure about the 'reserved coach'? i thought one could legally travel in unreserved with WL tkt, though practically you can always hang around in the reserved coaches asking the TTE for when your turn comes up...

also, i recall that rajdhani exp was very particular about asking WL passengers to detrain before starting. not sure if the rules have been relaxed recently.

##As per Rule, the passengers who are dropped from the Waiting List, i.e., during Charting, are NOT supposed to board Reserved Coaches.

##It is a different issue altogether that this Rule is "broken" in many parts of our country.

Sir,

##Not only Rajdhanis, the Rule, explained by me in my previous post, applies to the Reserved Coaches of all trains. But, still, such passengers prefer to hand around the TTE, which is a different matter.

Generally, how long in advance do I have to book a train? I like to keep no schedule as a means for a better time/no stress vac a, but I know I have to book the average train so much in advance

I don't think that there is any such thing as an average. Some trains book up quicker than others. There are things like holiday periods and festivals which make it wise to book early.

Have a look at a site such as indiarailinfo or erail and try to get a feel for each train that you want to book and how quickly it seems to fill up. A lot of work but I don't think that there is a sensible short cut.

If you want to be certain book 120 days before travel.

except for intermediate stations... in that case it might be 121 or 122 days...

Is the remote location quota information - not just current status (i.e. total no. of berths/seats for each class, the stations under this RL quota) for long distance trains available anywhere?

For instance, can one get info on the various quotas (including RL) for train no. 12514 between Guwahati and Secunderabad?

This information will significantly planning a journey!

Thanks,
deebee