Indian Railway PNR status | about | how to check

PNR in the Indian railways system stands for Passenger Name record, it contains the passenger details as captured from the railways reservation form or fields filled in the online reservation form. This ten digit unique PNR number is generated by the computerized reservation system. (CRS) and printed on the top left hand corner of the train ticket.

The need for checking the latest Indian railway PNR status arises in the following circumstances:

  1. Tracking progress of booked ticket. Check the current status of the ticket if the ticket is in waiting list or RAC (reservation against cancellation) when booked.
  2. Check the train status if the train is late / cancelled or on time. There are other sources other than PNR also to find this.
  3. Stake claim from the railways ( filing to TDR) in case of train cancellation, ticket cancellation within 2 two hours before departure (after chart is prepaid) and after departure of train.

The latest railway status PNR can be checked by the following ways

PNR status through Internet

1)       On the Internet website of IRCTC (Indian railways catering and tourism corporation), a part of the Indian railways. http://irctc.co.in.  Go to this link and enter the PNR number. User Name and password is required for this website. If you do not have you can generate a new one and can be used in all further interactions with this website

2)       Indian railways official website http://www.indianrail.gov.in. Click on the PNR status link on this page or viit the page directly by the following link http://www.indianrail.gov.in/pnr_Enq.html. The following information is also available on the website in addition to PNR number

a)       Trains between important stations.

b)       Train / Fare accommodation.

c)       Train enquiry

d)       Other information related to Railway

e)       Zonal railway maps, Booking locations, Layout of the berth, Internet reservation etc.

PNR status through telephone / mobile phone using IVRS

Passenger/Public can access the system through PSTN network and they can get current status of reservation as well as availability of accommodation in various classes of a specific train in three languages i.e. Hindi, English & Local language. The system prompts through voice guidance to select languages, train number, PNR number and date. Call the Indian railways PNR enquiry number at 139 and follow the IVRS to know your PNR/booked ticket’s status.

Checking PNR status through SMS services

Depending on your requirements and convenience there are a few method to check the PNR status using SMS from your mobile phone. SMS charges vary according to the service you select. The following are various formats
a)       SMS PNR <10-digit PNR No.> to 54959

b)       Write IRPNR [PNR number] send SMS to 57886 for Status of PNR

c)       SMS PNR <your PNR number> to 5676747, eg. PNR 2342368798

d)       PNR status using google. Just send your 10 digit PNR number as the message (only the 10 digits, and no prefixes) to 9773300000. You’ll pay only the standard SMS charges. This service is provided by google

Self Help kiosks at railway stations

Self-help touch screen Kiosks installed at major railway stations across India. Just key in the PNR number and you will get the PNR status immediately.

Enquiry counters at railway stations / Internet booking centres

If the self help PNR kiosks are not available the status can be checked with the enquiry counter operator / railways booking operator at the railway station or at railway booking offices.

Content updated in January 2023
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