PNR vs Ticket Number — what's the difference?

PNR (10 digits) is for reserved tickets and tracks booking status. Ticket Number is a separate transaction ID for unreserved (general class) tickets. Both are used to verify your travel.

Two different identifiers:

PNR Number (Passenger Name Record)

10 digits
Issued for reserved tickets (Sleeper, AC classes)
Tracks booking + passenger details
Status changes (CNF/RAC/WL) before chart preparation
Required for PNR status enquiry

Ticket Number

8-10+ digits depending on system
Issued for unreserved (General Class, suburban)
No berth allocation
No status to track — instant valid ticket
Cannot be used for PNR enquiry

Both appear on the same ticket sometimes — PNR + transaction ID for reserved tickets.

CheckMyPNR.com works with PNR numbers only (reserved tickets). For UTS unreserved tickets, use UTS app.

PNR vs Ticket Number — what's the difference?

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