Guide
How to book an IRCTC retiring room
A step-by-step walkthrough of booking a retiring room on rr.irctc.co.in — from PNR entry to voucher download.
Updated 2026-02-15
IRCTC retiring rooms are short-stay accommodations at major Indian Railway stations, available only to passengers with a confirmed or RAC PNR. They're often the cheapest place to sleep near a station, but the booking flow is notoriously fiddly. This guide walks you through it in plain steps.
Before you start: what you need
- A confirmed or RAC PNR for a train arriving at or departing from the station where you want a room. Waitlisted tickets do not qualify.
- An IRCTC account (the same login you use for ticket booking).
- Valid government ID matching the name on the PNR — the same ID must be presented at check-in.
- A payment method: UPI, credit/debit card, net banking, or wallet.
Step 1 — Visit the official booking portal
Go to rr.irctc.co.in. This is the only official portal for booking IRCTC retiring rooms. Sign in with your IRCTC credentials.
Step 2 — Enter your PNR
Enter the 10-digit PNR number of your confirmed train ticket. The system will pull the journey details and show which stations along your route have retiring rooms available.
Step 3 — Choose station, room type, and slot
You'll then pick:
- Station: source, destination, or a major junction on your route.
- Room type: single, double, dormitory — each available in AC or non-AC at most stations.
- Slot length: 12 hours, 24 hours, or 48 hours. Some stations also offer 3-hour hourly bookings.
- Check-in time: must be within 96 hours of the train's arrival/departure.
Step 4 — Pay
The total fare includes the room tariff plus an IRCTC service charge (₹20 for retiring rooms, ₹10 for dormitory beds, up to 24 hours; doubled for 24–48 hour slots) and applicable GST. Pay via any supported method.
Step 5 — Download your voucher
On successful payment, you'll receive a confirmation voucher with a transaction ID. Save this voucher to your phone — you'll need to show it (along with your ID) at check-in.
If the payment fails
This happens frequently — by user accounts, success rates can be as low as 10%. If your payment fails:
- Check the booking history in your IRCTC account before retrying — sometimes the booking goes through even when the payment screen errors.
- Wait 5–10 minutes for any reserved-but-unconfirmed amount to be released.
- Try a different payment method. UPI tends to work better than credit cards on the IRCTC portal.
- If money was debited without confirmation, refunds typically arrive within 5–7 working days.
At check-in
Reach the station, find the "May I Help You" desk or the retiring room reception (usually on platform 1 or near the main hall). Show the voucher and the matching ID. Late check-in is permitted up to one hour after your train's scheduled arrival time. Failing to check in attracts the full cost — there's no automatic refund for no-shows.