To link two eligible train reservations in IRCTC, open Trains > Connecting journey booking, select the onward train, and enter the earlier PNR when prompted. The tickets remain separate PNRs; linking records them as a connecting journey and can facilitate a refund claim if the first train runs late and you miss the connection. It does not provide a through-ticket or telescopic fare benefit.
How to link two PNRs in IRCTC
- Sign in to IRCTC and open Trains > Connecting journey booking.
- Search for the onward train and check accommodation availability.
- Select Book Now, then enter the earlier PNR when asked for the connecting PNR.
- If the booking qualifies, passenger details from the earlier PNR are populated for the onward booking. For a PRS counter ticket, IRCTC says an OTP is sent to the mobile number registered with that ticket before details are fetched. IRCTC’s connecting-journey feature document describes the workflow.
The earlier reservation is the Main Journey PNR; the onward one is the Connected Journey PNR. They remain separate reservations, not a single through-ticket.
Eligibility: check these rules before booking
IRCTC’s feature document, issued for implementation from 1 April 2019, sets out the following conditions:
- Stations must match: the first journey’s terminating or principal station must match the second journey’s originating, boarding, or principal station. IRCTC also specifies that the PNR origin and boarding station must match, and the destination and “reserved up to” station must match.
- Passenger details must match: names and other passenger details must be the same on both PNRs. Name, age, or gender changes are not allowed for connected PNRs.
- Reservation status must qualify: only confirmed or partly confirmed tickets are eligible.
- Both timing limits apply: the main and connecting journeys may be no more than five days apart. The scheduled arrival-to-departure interval must be at least one minute and no more than five days.
- Quota and booking exclusions apply: TQ/PT/FT quota tickets and current-booking PNRs are excluded.
- Counter tickets have an extra requirement: to connect a PRS counter ticket with an e-ticket, the counter ticket must include a mobile number for OTP authentication.
These are system eligibility limits, not recommendations for a comfortable transfer. A one-minute minimum does not account for station layout, platform changes, mobility needs, or delays; choose a connection with a practical buffer. IRCTC’s terms also advise passengers to consider scheduled arrival and departure times: IRCTC e-ticketing terms and conditions.
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What changes after the PNRs are linked?
- The connected PNRs cannot be modified, and their boarding stations cannot be changed.
- VIKALP and loyalty-accrual booking are not allowed for connected PNRs.
- Partially cancelling either connected PNR delinks the PNRs.
These restrictions are listed in IRCTC’s connecting-journey feature document. Linking should therefore be done with the correct passenger and station details from the outset.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If a late first train makes you miss the connection
Railway Board Commercial Circular No. 6 of 2019, dated 7 February 2019, introduced linking for e-tickets, PRS counter tickets, or a combination of the two to facilitate refund claims in this situation. The circular says linking is allowed without telescopic benefit. It quotes Rule 13(3) of the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015.
Under the specific late-running rule, the fare for the portion already travelled is retained and the fare for the untravelled portion is refunded without cancellation or clerkage charges if you surrender the ticket for refund at the junction station within three hours of the first train’s actual arrival. The circular states:
“Where a passenger holding a ticket, with or without reservation, misses connection for continued journey by another train at any junction station owing to late running of the train by which he had been traveling, the fare for travelled portion shall be retained and the balance amount of ticket shall be refunded as the fare for untraveled portion, without levying any cancellation or clerage charge, if he surrenders the ticket for such refund within three hours of the actual arrival of the train by which he had travelled and the refund shall be granted at the junction station.”
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The quotation preserves the circular’s printed spelling, “clerage.” The rule concerns a missed connection caused by the first train’s late running; it is not the same as choosing to cancel a reservation. See Railway Board Commercial Circular No. 6 of 2019. IRCTC’s general e-ticket cancellation guidance covers ordinary cancellation and TDR procedures separately; those ordinary deadlines should not be substituted for the circular’s specific three-hour provision.
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Which situation are you dealing with?
- Booking two eligible legs: use Connecting journey booking and enter the earlier PNR when prompted.
- Connecting an e-ticket and a counter ticket: the counter ticket needs a mobile number for OTP verification.
- Changing plans voluntarily: follow the applicable ordinary cancellation process; the late-running misconnection rule does not describe voluntary cancellation.
- Missing the onward train because the first train is late: the Railway Board circular describes surrendering the ticket at the junction within three hours of actual arrival to seek the specified refund.
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