Indian Railways’ ‘Auto Upgrade Scheme’ is a unique initiative that benefits both passengers and the Railways. Seats in higher-class coaches like First AC, Second AC, and Third AC often remain vacant. Since the fares for these seats are significantly higher than those in Sleeper Class, these vacant seats result in financial losses for the Railways.
Double Benefits of the Scheme
The Railways launched this scheme to prevent this loss and provide passengers with a more comfortable journey. The primary goal of this scheme is to ensure that no seat remains vacant on the train and every passenger enjoys a more comfortable journey. For example, if a train has four vacant seats in First AC and two vacant seats in Second AC, the Railways upgrades some Second AC passengers to First AC.
Then, the vacant seats in Second AC are upgraded to Third AC passengers, and similarly, passengers on the Sleeper Class waiting list are accommodated in Third AC. This smart process ensures no loss to the Railways, and the passenger receives a higher-class seat without any charge.
Just a one-click ticket booking process
The process of availing the auto-upgrade scheme is very simple and is determined during ticket booking. When you book tickets through IRCTC or any other app, you see a small but important question at the time of booking: “Do you agree to be upgraded to a higher class?”
Agree or Disagree
If you click “Yes” on this option, your ticket becomes eligible for an upgrade. If you choose “No,” your ticket will remain in the same class in which you booked. Interestingly, if you don’t select any option, the system considers it a “yes,” meaning consent. This means that if you’re lucky, you could have a great chance of being upgraded from Sleeper to Third AC or Second AC.
Rules and Important Considerations After Upgrading
Many travelers are mistakenly convinced that their PNR number changes after an upgrade, but this is incorrect. Even after an upgrade, your PNR number remains the same as the one provided at the time of booking. You can check your travel details and new seat number using this PNR number.
Refund Rules
It is extremely important to know that if you cancel your ticket after being upgraded, you will receive a refund based on the class in which you originally booked the ticket, not the higher class to which you were upgraded. This rule ensures that the passenger receives the benefit of the free upgrade, but the financial benefit remains only on the original booking.