Indian Railways Alters Ticket Upgrade Policy: Sleeper Class Passengers No Longer Eligible for First AC Upgrades

Pune, 28th May 2025: In a major policy shift, Indian Railways has updated its rules regarding waitlisted ticket upgrades. Under the new system, passengers holding Sleeper Class tickets will no longer be eligible for upgrades to First Class AC, even if there are available seats in that category.

Sleeper Class passengers can still be promoted to AC 3-tier or AC 2-tier, depending on seat availability. This change is intended to make seat allocation more efficient and prevent overcrowding in top-tier coaches.

Key Changes in the Upgrade Policy
Earlier, the automatic upgrade system allowed passengers with lower-class tickets—including Sleeper Class—to be moved to any higher class, including First AC, if there were vacancies, sometimes without extra charges.

Going forward, passengers will only be upgraded to coach classes that are within two levels above their original booking:

Sleeper Class passengers may only be shifted to AC 3-tier or AC 2-tier.

AC 3-tier passengers could be upgraded to AC 2-tier or First AC.

General or Second Class passengers are excluded from this upgrade system.

Conditions for Automatic Upgrades

The automatic upgrade facility will function under these conditions:

The passenger must opt in for ‘Auto-Upgrade’ at the time of booking.

If a passenger chooses not to opt in, they won’t be upgraded, regardless of seat availability.

If no preference is selected, the system assumes consent for an upgrade.

Senior citizens and those requesting lower berths are still eligible, though a lower berth cannot be guaranteed after the upgrade.

These rules also apply to chair cars and non-sleeper trains.

Reason Behind the Update

Railway authorities say the changes aim to:

Utilize reserved coach space more effectively.

Prevent congestion in premium compartments.

Introduce a more logical and consistent upgrade system, avoiding abrupt jumps from non-AC classes to First AC.

Passengers are advised to check the auto-upgrade option carefully during booking and opt for it only if they’re comfortable being moved to a higher class.