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Earlier the waiting ticket of sleeper class was upgraded to the First AC when the seat was available.
Indian Railways has made changes in the auto upgrade process related to waiting list tickets. According to IRCTC, sleeper class tickets will no longer be upgraded to first AC, even if the berths are empty.
Till now, the ticket of the waiting list passenger was upgraded to the category above the category, but this rule has been replaced.
This change has been made to organize more seats in reserved coaches in the train and to control the crowd in Higher category coaches.
The Center for Railway Information System (CRIS) is updating its software to implement this new rule.

The waiting ticket berth will not be upgraded to the higher class even if the berth is vacant.
Waiting ticket will upgrade up to two classes only
According to the new rule, now the sleeper class ticket will be upgraded to only two categories above.
- For example- Sleeper class (SL) tickets can be upgraded to maximum third AC (3A) or second AC (2A), but not in first AC (1A).
- Similarly, third AC (3A) tickets can be upgraded to maximum first AC (1A).
Earlier, if the sleeper class or other lower class tickets were on the waiting list and seats were available in the Higher Class (such as 3A, 2A or 1A), passengers could be upgraded to automatic first AC (1A).
Auto-Upgrad Terms
- The auto-upgrade facility will be implemented only when the passenger has selected the auto-upgrade option at the time of ticket booking or leave it on ‘yes’ (yes) by default.
- If the passenger has clearly chosen ‘no’ (no), its ticket will not be upgraded, even if seats in the higher category are available.
- If no option is selected at the time of booking, the system accepts it as ‘yes’ by default.
- Passengers applying for senior citizens and lower berths are also eligible for auto-upgrade.
- The lower berth will not be guaranteed even if the upgrade is upgraded, even if the passenger has applied for it.
Rules for PNR and refund
- The PNR number of waiting tickets will remain the same even after the upgrade, which can be used to track travel details.
- If the upgrade ticket is canceled, the refund will be based on the rent of the original booking class (eg sleeper), not based on the upgraded class (eg 2A).
Sleeper on waiting ticket-AC will not be able to travel in coach
Earlier, Indian Railways had implemented new rules for waiting tickets from 1 May. According to them, passengers with waiting list tickets will no longer be allowed to travel in sleeper or AC coaches.
Passengers whose tickets are in the waiting list will now be able to travel only in general coaches. If a passenger is found traveling in AC or sleeper coach on waiting ticket, he will be fined.
Fines for violation:
- Fines for AC: ₹ 440
- Fines for sleeper: ₹ 250
In addition, you will have to pay the rent from the starting station of the train to the station where you are caught.
If the tickets are not confirmed, they will be canceled automatically
Revale said that the tickets booked through IRCTC are automatically canceled if they are not confirmed, but people use the tickets booked from the counter to board the train. This causes inconvenience to passengers with confirmed tickets.
Another rule, which is implemented from May 1, 2025, is that every train ticket to be booked from IRCTC website or app will require OTP-based mobile verification. The purpose of this remedy is to increase security and prevent the misuse of the booking system.

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