RQWL Means

RQWL means Request Waiting List. It is usually issued when your journey starts at one intermediate station and ends at another such intermediate station further along the route and that journey does not fall under the General, Pooled, or Remote Location quotas.

Since RQWL in trains does not have a separate quota of seats, its confirmation chances are usually low. It also gets lower priority than major waitlists such as GNWL. An RQWL ticket generally moves only when a suitable seat becomes free for the same part of the route you are travelling on.

Here are the key features and limitations of RQWL tickets you should know:

Features of RQWL Tickets

• Fills quota gaps: RQWL allows booking between station pairs that are not covered under General, Pooled, or Remote Location quotas.

• Depends on available seats: Since RQWL in trains does not have its own fixed seat quota, the ticket can move when a suitable seat becomes available for that part of the route.

• Automatic cancellation: If an RQWL e-ticket stays fully waitlisted after the chart preparation is done, Indian Railways cancels the ticket automatically and processes the applicable refund.

Limitations of RQWL Tickets

• Low confirmation priority: RQWL usually has lower priority than major waitlists such as GNWL, so confirmation can be difficult.
• No boarding rights: If your ticket status stays RQWL after the train’s chart preparation, you cannot use it to travel.
• Confirmation is unpredictable: RQWL depends heavily on suitable cancellations for the same part of the route, so its movement can be difficult to predict.

Indian Railways uses different waiting-list codes depending on where your journey starts and ends. So, RQWL in a train ticket is different from GNWL, RLWL, and RSWL, even though all of them mean your ticket is still waiting for confirmation.

Here’s how RQWL in IRCTC differs from other common waiting list categories:

Chances of RQWL tickets getting confirmed are usually very low because RQWL in IRCTC does not have a separate quota of seats kept aside for it. This can only happen if a confirmed passenger between the two selected intermediary stations cancels their ticket. 

While these tickets don’t confirm easily, your RQWL confirmation chances still depend on:

• RQWL number: A lower number, such as RQWL 1-10, has a slightly better chance of moving. Higher numbers need many more cancellations, which are rare.

• Matching cancellation: A cancellation helps only if that seat can be used between your selected boarding and destination stations.

• Route demand: On busy routes, weekends and festival dates, confirmation can be harder because fewer people may cancel bookings.

However, even a low RQWL number does not guarantee confirmation, so it is better to keep checking your PNR status before the journey or try alternate trains/stations.

Here’s how you can check the PNR status of your RQWL ticket through redRail:

• Open the redRail app or visit the ‘Train Tickets’ section of the redBus website.
• Click on the ‘Check PNR Status’ option.
• Enter your ticket’s PNR number.
• Click on the ‘Check Status’ option.
• See your current ticket status, including your current RQWL number.

Once the reservation chart is prepared, your RQWL ticket gets its final status.

• If confirmed: Your PNR will appear as CNF, allowing you to board the train.
• If still waitlisted: The ticket is invalid for travel, so you cannot board the reserved coach.
• For online tickets: A fully waitlisted e-ticket is cancelled automatically, and the applicable refund is returned to the original payment method.

RQWL tickets follow the normal refund rules for waitlisted tickets. The refund depends on whether you cancel the ticket yourself or it remains in the waitlist even after the final chart is prepared:

• Automatic cancellation: RQWL tickets that are in the waitlist after the train’s chart is prepared get auto-cancelled. The refund for these tickets is issued to the original payment account after the applicable clerkage deduction.

• Manual cancellation: You are allowed to cancel your waitlisted ticket up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure. A small charge of ₹60/passenger is deducted. No refund is given after this cut-off time.

If your RQWL ticket gets confirmed before chart preparation, it is treated as a regular confirmed ticket. In that case, cancellations and refunds follow the general rules for all confirmed tickets. Charges and refunds will then be based on your class of travel and will have to be cancelled four hours before the scheduled departure time.

An RQWL ticket can make sense if your journey is still some time away and the waiting list number is low. You can keep reviewing the PNR to see whether it moves towards confirmation.

However, do not depend only on an RQWL ticket if the journey is important and you must travel on that date. Since RQWL confirmation chances are uncertain, it is worth checking another train, travel class, nearby station, or travel date as a backup.