In the video, the woman can be heard demanding a complete refund of Rs 800 from Indian Railways. She says she paid three times the ticket price to secure a confirmed ticket. However, instead of receiving a separate confirmed berth, she was allotted an RAC seat located near a toilet.
Questioning the arrangement, the woman points out that she has a 22-hour journey ahead and asks how she is expected to sleep comfortably on a shared seat. Under the RAC arrangement, one seat is shared by two passengers, meaning both travellers have to adjust during the journey despite paying for their tickets.
The woman also raises concerns about having to share the seat with an unknown male passenger for the entire 22-hour journey. She repeatedly questions why Indian Railways allotted her an RAC seat alongside a male passenger when she had paid extra for a confirmed booking.
Recalling an earlier experience, she says that when she booked a First AC (1AC) ticket once, Indian Railways provided her with a private coupe. However, this time, she has been allotted a shared seat with a man she does not know. She questions why passengers are charged three times the regular fare if the final allocation is still an RAC seat. She insists that the railway authorities should return her Rs 800.
The video was shared by Gem of Railway, which questioned why passengers are being charged extra despite receiving RAC seats, particularly when those seats are located near toilets. The account also raised concerns about third-party applications that charge higher amounts in the name of travel guarantees but ultimately provide passengers with RAC tickets.
According to the post, such applications are allegedly misleading passengers with promises of a three-times refund guarantee. The issue has once again brought Indian Railways' RAC rules into the spotlight, triggering discussions over the difference between a confirmed ticket and a confirmed berth.
Several social media users attempted to justify the RAC arrangement in the comments, arguing that an RAC ticket is also considered confirmed, even if the passenger has paid additional money to secure the booking.
One user commented that passengers are clearly informed during the booking process that an RAC ticket will be considered confirmed, adding that the woman herself was responsible for the situation. Another user said that, regardless of the circumstances, the woman at least had a travel guarantee.
A third user questioned the railway's fare structure, arguing that if two passengers are travelling on a single seat, Indian Railways should charge each passenger only half the ticket price.
The incident has renewed the debate over RAC reservations, additional charges imposed by third-party booking applications and the expectations of passengers who pay extra for travel guarantees but still end up sharing a seat during long-distance journeys.
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