TQWL Means in Railway: Full Form, Confirmation Chances and Refund Rules

TQWL means Tatkal Quota Waiting List. It is a category of Waiting List status that is given to someone when they are unable to book a confirmed ticket using the Tatkal ticket booking system. When all the confirmed and RAC seats are booked during the short Tatkal window, passengers are given TQWL status.

TQWL are notorious for their poor ticket confirmation chances. If your PNR Status marks TQWL there must be a few questions going on in your head, such as: Will my TQWL ticket confirm? Can I cancel my ticket? How much refund will I get? How can I book alternative travel options?

In this blog, we are going to discuss each and every query of yours. So, sit tight as we explore and ponder what TQWL means.

What TQWL Means in Railway

TQWL stands for Tatkal Quota Waitlist. It means that when you booked your ticket under the Tatkal quota, all the Tatkal berths were already taken,  so your ticket landed in the waitlist specific to that quota.

Before December 2016, this same status was shown as CKWL. Indian Railways renamed it to TQWL to make the naming consistent with “Tatkal Quota” across all booking platforms. The code changed, but the situation it describes is the same: your berth isn’t confirmed yet.

One thing that confuses a lot of passengers is that TQWL is not the same as GNWL (General Waiting List). These are two completely separate queues, and that difference matters a lot when it comes to your chances of getting confirmed.

Why TQWL Is Harder to Confirm Than Other Waitlists

Here’s the core problem with TQWL: it can only move up if another Tatkal passenger cancels.

With GNWL, any cancellation from the general quota can push you forward. But TQWL is isolated. General quota cancellations don’t help you. RAC upgrades don’t help you. Even if dozens of general tickets get cancelled on your train, your TQWL number stays exactly where it is. This is because when you get aTQWL ticket, you are tied to the Tatkal pool. Only if a confirmed tatkal ticket is cancelled does your TQWL move up.

This is again difficult as the cancellation of a confirmed Tatkal booking brings zero money back. As a result, those who reserve under this scheme tend to stick with travel, regardless of shifting plans. That makes the waitlist even harder to move.

Waiting List tickets under Tatkal don’t go to RAC Status. This means that a TQWL ticket doesn’t move up to RAC, it moves directly to Confirmed. If it doesn’t get confirmed it will remain waitlisted only. RAC is not an option. 

Here is how TQWL waiting number and your ticket confirmation chances are related:

The above list is figurative information for your understanding. In real situations confirmation of TQWL varies per class. For example a Sleeper class TQWL  might get confirmed but an AC ticket with the same waiting list number is much harder to confirm.

If you want to check the real time PNR prediction scores, you can do so using RailMitra’s PNR Status check service. This service provides you real time PNR Status as well as the chances of your waitlist confirmation.

The May 2025 Rule Change: No Confirmation, No Entry

Starting from May 1, 2025, only those people who have a Confirmed train ticket can board the Sleeper and AC Coaches. People with Waiting list tickets, whether it be GNWL or TQWL, are barred from entry into their respective coaches. They can, however, enter the unreserved coaches.

Passengers travelling in Sleeper and AC coaches with a waiting list are fined. These are:

• Sleeper (SL): ₹250 + shift to General coach
• AC classes (3A, 2A, 1A): ₹440 + shift to General coach

TTEs and RPF personnel are actively checking. The old practice of standing in the aisle or sitting near a companion’s berth is no longer allowed. If you’re TQWL, your legal option on that train is the unreserved General coach  and if you don’t want that, you need to cancel before departure.

So checking your PNR before travel isn’t optional anymore. UseRailMitra’s PNR Status checker to track your ticket status right up to chart preparation, which usually happens 4 hours before departure.

TQWL Refund Rules: What You Get Back

This depends on whether your ticket was booked online or at the counter, and whether it confirms or stays waitlisted.

If your TQWL ticket does NOT confirm:

For e-tickets, IRCTC automatically cancels fully waitlisted tickets after the chart is prepared. You don’t need to do anything. The refund goes back to your original payment method within 3–7 working days. A minimal amount of ₹ 60 will be deducted (₹ 30 for Second class). For AC classes GST may also apply.

For counter tickets, the waitlisted tickets won’t be cancelled automatically. Passengers need to visit the counter and physically submit their tickets and get it cancelled. It all needs to be done 30 minutes prior to the trains departure otherwise you wont be provided a refund.

Passengers who want to look for alternative train options can use the trains between stations service to find all the available trains between the stations. If the timings of one of these trains seems suitable to your schedule, you can check the train seat availability to check if there are any seats available for booking on this train.

If your TQWL ticket CONFIRMS:

Good news and bad news. Good news: you’re travelling. Bad news: if you now want to cancel, the no-refund rule for confirmed Tatkal tickets applies. You get nothing back. This is absolute, no matter how early before departure you cancel.

Should Indian Railways cancel the train, a complete refund becomes possible. If your train is delayed by more than three hours then the amount is refunded. If there is any rescheduling of the route and your boarding station gets missed then also you are allowed a refund.

Partial PNR situation:

Indian Railways has a different rule when there are multiple passengers under one PNR number. If 4 people have booked a ticket under one PNR and only 2 of them got confirmed tickets and 2 got Waitlisted, then the waitlisted tickets don’t get cancelled automatically. You need to cancel the tickets yourself manually 30 minutes before the departure or file a TDR. 

TQWL vs Other Waitlist Types

TQWL is just one type of waiting list. There are other types of waiting lists as well. The confirmation chances of these waiting list types are not all the same. Let’s take a look at the other types of waiting lists.

A Few Other Things Worth Knowing

Tatkal booking window: The Tatkal booking opens one day before the date of departure of the train at 10:00 AM for AC Coaches and 11:00 AM for Non-AC Coaches.

Aadhaar verification: Starting from June 2025, passengers trying to book a tatkal ticket need Aadhar verification and an OTP will be sent. This move was introduced to curb bots and agents from hijacking all the train tickets. 

ARP reduction: The Advance Reservation Period was cut from 120 days to 60 days in 2025. This has reduced speculative bookings somewhat, which in turn has slightly eased general quota waitlists but TQWL dynamics haven’t changed much.

Boarding point change: Starting April 1, 2026, adjustments to your boarding location will be allowed until half an hour prior to departure. This flexibility helps when schedules change unexpectedly. However, such updates have no effect on where you stand in the waiting queue. Priority remains exactly as originally assigned.

Clerkage fee review: As of early 2026, the Railway Board is reportedly considering reducing or waiving clerkage charges for waitlisted passengers who don’t get a seat. No final decision yet, but it’s being discussed.

Conclusion

TQWL means your ticket is on a waitlist that almost never moves. If you’re at TQWL 1 or 2, there’s a reasonable chance you can keep checking. If you’re TQWL 5 or beyond, start looking at alternatives seriously. Under the new rules of 2025, there is no boarding for waiting list ticket holders except in unreserved coaches.

Track your PNR status on RailMitra right up to chart time, and if it doesn’t confirm, decide early either take the General coach or cancel before the 30-minute cut-off to protect your refund.