Indian railway ticket glossary

Ticket status

CNF · Confirmed

You have a berth or seat. Coach and number are on your ticket or appear at chart time.

RAC · Reservation Against Cancellation

You can board. You get half a side-lower berth (shared with one other RAC passenger) and move up to a full berth if someone cancels or does not turn up.

GNWL · General Waitlist

The main queue, for journeys from the train’s starting station or nearby. It clears fastest because most cancellations feed it.

WL · Waitlist

A waitlisted ticket. The queue type (GNWL, RLWL, PQWL…) decides how fast it moves.

RLWL · Remote Location Waitlist

For journeys from an important station mid-route. It has its own small quota, so it clears more slowly than GNWL.

PQWL · Pooled Quota Waitlist

For short trips between intermediate stations, sharing one small pool. It usually clears slowly.

RSWL · Roadside Station Waitlist

For trips from roadside stations near the origin. Slow to clear.

RQWL · Request Waitlist

For trips between intermediate stations not covered by any quota. The hardest to confirm.

NPWL · No-Allocation Pool Waitlist

A rare queue with no fixed seats behind it. Treat it as unlikely.

TQWL · Tatkal Waitlist

Tatkal has its own queue and gets no priority from regular cancellations. It clears much less often than GNWL.

REGRET · Regret / No room

The waitlist is full. You cannot book this class on this train; look at other trains, dates, classes or modes.

CAN · Cancelled

This ticket or passenger is cancelled.

Quotas

GN · General

Everyone. The main quota.

TQ · Tatkal

Anyone, one day before the journey (10:00 AC, 11:00 non-AC). Higher fare; confirmed Tatkal is not refunded on cancellation. Aadhaar-verified login needed online.

PT · Premium Tatkal

Anyone, same opening time as Tatkal; dynamic fare; e-tickets only; no concessions.

LD · Ladies

Women travelling alone or with children under 12. A few berths in SL, 3A and 2S on many trains.

SS · Lower berth / Senior citizen

Men 60+, women 45+, and pregnant women, travelling alone or two together. Lower berths in SL, 3A and 2A.

HP · Divyaang (physically handicapped)

Persons with disability holding the railway photo ID card, and one escort.

DF · Defence

Defence personnel on duty, booked through their own channel.

FT · Foreign Tourist

Foreign nationals and NRIs with a passport, on selected trains; booked with an IRCTC international account or at major-station counters.

YU · Yuva

A scheme quota on selected trains; eligibility is checked at booking.

RLWL · Remote Location Waitlist

Booking from important mid-route stations; its own small quota.

PQWL · Pooled Quota Waitlist

Short trips between intermediate stations sharing one pool.

TQWL · Tatkal Waitlist

Waitlisted Tatkal tickets; clears rarely.

CKWL · Tatkal Waitlist (older code)

The older name for TQWL; read it the same way.

Other words

Chart

The final list of berths, prepared before the train leaves its first station. After it, waitlisted e-tickets that did not confirm are cancelled and refunded automatically; RAC can board.

ARP (Advance Reservation Period)

How far ahead you can book. See when booking opens for your journey date on the booking-dates tool.

Tatkal

A quota that opens one day before the journey (AC classes at 10:00, non-AC at 11:00) at a higher fare. Confirmed Tatkal tickets are not refunded if you cancel.

HO (Headquarters / Emergency quota)

A small number of berths released on request from railway officials for urgent cases. You cannot book it yourself; an application goes through the railway’s process.

When booking opens Will my waitlist confirm? All rail rules

Questions people ask