IRCTC New Update: Sleeper Class No Longer Upgraded To First AC; Check New Rules For Waiting List Passengers, Penalties And How To Upgrade Seat

IRCTC New Rules For Waiting Ticket: If you continuously shuttle via teach and depend on waitlisted tickets, there’s a very powerful replace you must know. Indian Railways has made a gigantic exchange—Sleeper Class tickets will not be upgraded to First AC, even though there are vacant berths. Until now, many passengers with waitlisted tickets had been pleasantly shocked to be moved as much as upper categories when to be had. But that’s converting.

In a round issued on May 13, 2025, the Railway Board clarified how the auto-upgrade machine will now paintings. If you’ve booked a price tag in a selected magnificence and there aren’t any to be had seats—which means your price tag is at the ready record—however upper categories have availability, your seat can nonetheless be upgraded. But there’s a catch: you’ll handiest be upgraded as much as two categories upper, no longer past that.

Though this auto-upgrade machine has existed since 2006—permitting upgrades to raised categories with out paying additional—this newest round brings extra construction and readability to the method.

IRCTC Ticket Upgrade: What’s New 

Indian Railways has presented main reduction to passengers via making the automated improve scheme for waitlisted tickets even more effective. According to the brand new notification from the Indian Railway, if there is not any seat to be had within the magnificence you booked however a seat is vacant in the next magnificence, your price tag will likely be routinely upgraded at no additional price. However, this improve will likely be restricted to a most of 2 ranges handiest.  

For Sleeper Class passengers, the brand new collection will pass like this: 2S → 3E → 3A → 2A → 1A. However, Indian Railways has now made it transparent that handiest 2A passengers can also be upgraded to 1A (First AC). If you’re in Sleeper or 3A, you gained’t soar all of the strategy to First AC anymore. 

Similarly, for seating magnificence coaches, the improve trail will likely be: 2S → VS → CC → EC → EV → EA. Even right here, handiest those that’ve booked CC (Chair Car) tickets will likely be eligible for additional upgrades to top class categories like EC, EV, or EA. It is vital to notice that the upgrades will handiest occur inside seating or inside drowsing classes. So, there will likely be no switching from a seating magnificence to a sleeper magnificence or vice versa. 

How to Upgrade Your Seat While Booking Tickets On IRCTC

When you ebook a price tag on IRCTC, there’s an choice that asks in the event you’re ok with auto-upgrade. If you click on “Yes,” your price tag turns into eligible. If you choose “No,” it gained’t be upgraded. Interestingly, in the event you don’t choose any choice in any respect, the machine will imagine it a “Yes” via default. 

Will Your PNR Change After Seat Upgrade? 

Even after an improve, your PNR remains the similar—you’ll be able to use it to trace adventure main points. If you cancel the upgraded price tag, your refund will likely be processed in step with the fare of the unique reserving magnificence, no longer the upgraded one.

What About Senior Citizens And Lower Berth Passengers? 

The senior voters and decrease berth passengers are eligible for auto-upgrades too. However, there’s a catch: an improve doesn’t ensure a decrease berth, even though asked. To ensure that clean implementation, the Railways Information System will replace its device accordingly. 

Rules For Waiting List Passengers And Penalty    

Starting May 2025, Indian Railways has presented stricter regulations for waitlisted price tag holders. If your price tag stays unconfirmed, you gained’t be allowed in reserved coaches—you’ll want to shuttle within the basic trainer. Breaking this rule may just price you: Rs 440 in AC or Rs 250 in Non-AC, plus the fare out of your boarding station to the following forestall.