How to check seat availability before booking?

Go to IRCTC, enter from/to stations and date, select class. The result shows AVL (available), RAC, GNWL/PQWL with positions, or REGRET. AVL means immediate confirmation possible.

Before booking, always check seat availability:

IRCTC.co.in or IRCTC app.
Enter origin and destination stations.
Select journey date and class.
Click "Search Trains".

Results shown:

AVL XXX — XXX seats available, instant confirmation
RAC NN — RAC, position NN
GNWL NN/WL NN — General Waitlist position
PQWL NN/WL NN — Pooled Quota WL
REGRET — booking closed, train full
RLWL NN — Remote Location WL
NOT AVAILABLE — quota not applicable for this route

Predictive forecast is shown alongside — historical confirmation chance based on past data.

How to check seat availability before booking?

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