Every day, crores of people travel by train in India, and thousands of trains are seen running on the tracks. During the train journey, everyone wants to get a comfortable and good seat. On the other hand, if the journey is very long, then the quality of the seat and the environment around you also matter a lot. This is the reason why many people prefer to travel by booking tickets in an AC coach so that the journey can be completed comfortably.
What if you get this facility without paying any extra money
While booking tickets in Indian Railways, you get a facility in which your ticket can be upgraded for free. Many people do not know about it.
There is a scheme of Railways that can upgrade your normal ticket to higher class. But, let us tell you that only those passengers can avail this benefit who book tickets online. Let us know how you can take advantage of this scheme.
Railways’ Free Upgrade Scheme
This wonderful scheme of Indian Railways has been made to give passengers a better travel experience, especially when seats are vacant in higher classes.
Why only online booking
This scheme is only for those passengers who book tickets through the IRCTC website or app. This facility is not available on tickets booked offline or from the counter, as the online system handles the upgrade process automatically.
Interested in a free upgrade
When you book a ticket through the IRCTC website or app, an option appears that says, ‘Are you interested in free upgrade?’. If the passenger clicks on ‘Yes’, he can get the opportunity to upgrade his ticket. It is not mandatory to choose this option, but if you want to take advantage of it, then click ‘Yes’.
How is the upgrade done
Suppose, you have booked a ticket for Sleeper class and there is a seat vacant in the Third AC coach of the same train. Then your ticket will be upgraded to Third AC without any extra money. However, there is no guarantee that your ticket will be upgraded; it depends on the availability and the railway system.
Automatic process and after-chart preparation
This process is done by Indian Railways through an automated system. After the chart is prepared, the railway decides to upgrade the ticket. When the chart of a train is prepared, the upgrade is done automatically by PRS (Passenger Reservation System). This system upgrades by matching the information of vacant seats and passengers who have chosen the option ‘yes’.