General QAs regarding IRCTC

Waiting List:
1. What does RLWL13 / WL10 and GNWL20 / WL15 in Indian Railway
Reservation mean?

If the status is RLWL13 / WL10, then this means that you have a current remote
location waiting list of 10 (the latter number). The difference between the two
(13 - 10 = 3 in this case) means that 3 passengers who booked before you have
already cancelled their ticket. Your ticket will get confirmed only if 10
passengers who have booked before you for the same journey happen to
cancel their journey. Same is the case with GNWL20/15 except that it is general
waiting list. Similarly, GNWL/AVAILABLE means that current status of your
ticket is CONFIRMED because some passengers who booked before you have
cancelled their tickets. To get more details about the waiting list status
visit: www.trainman.in/article/allAboutTickets/

2. One passenger gets a confirmed ticket and other passengers on the same
ticket remain waitlisted (WL 1) after chart preparation. Are we allowed to board
the train?

If at least one passengers status is confirmed (full berth) or RAC (half berth),
then all passengers on this ticket are allowed to board the train even if some of
them are in waitlisted status. So you can board the train in this case.

3. If the ticket booked online on IRCTC has a WL (waiting list) status, does it get
automatically cancelled if it doesn't get confirmed?

Yes, the tickets booked online by irctc website get cancelled automatically if all
passengers on the ticket remain waitlisted even after preparation of chart. This
is applicable for both general and tatkal quota.

4. In Indian Railways, can I board trains like rajdhani even if my status is not
confirmed?

One should not board the train if the ticket is in waiting list status for all
passengers on the ticket. Normally, the TTE allows passengers with PRS
waiting ticket (counter ticket in waiting list status). But in premium trains like
rajdhani, shatabdi and duronto, the TTE takes strict actions against those
having waitlisted ticket. If found they may be penalized and are made to
deboard the train at the next station

5. The current reservation status of my ticket is in waiting list (WL 3, WL 4, WL 5,

WL 6). What are the chances of confirmation of my ticket?
 You can check your current PNR status along with confirmation chances of your
ticket on trainman. The historical trends gives you more insight on the same.

6. My PNR status is showing booking status WL18, PQWL, and current status is
showing 'confirmed,' but berth details are missing. Did my ticket get confirm?

Yes your ticket is confirmed as is mentioned in the current status field. Berth
details will be provided to you upon chart preparation which is usually done a
few hours before train depart time.

7. Which waiting list is cleared first GNWL, TQWL, RLWL, RSWL, RQWL or
PQWL? Can RLWL status tickets get confirmed easily?

GNWL stands for General Waiting List and has the highest chances of
confirmation. RLWL and RSWL are given for remote stations so very few seats
are allotted under them. Due to lesser seats they have lesser chances of
confirmation than GNWL. PQWL is Pooled Quota Waiting List and covers those
stations not covered under general or remote location quotas. PQWL and
RQWL have the least chances of confirmation. TQWL or tatkal waiting list has
lesser chances of confirmation than GNWL for same origin-dest pair.

RAC:
8. If my reservation status is RAC, does it mean the seat has been confirmed?
Does an RAC ticket get cleared when the chart is prepared?

RAC status means that you are entitled to a seat (half-berth) in the train. But
mostly RAC tickets get confirmed on chart preparation wherein a full-berth is
allotted to passenger.

9. I have booked a ticket for Rajdhani / Duronto express which is RAC 25. Am I
entitled to get any seat just like other trains, if the ticket is not confirmed?

If your ticket remains in RAC status on chart preparation, even then you can
board the train. You will be allotted a half side-lower berth just like other trains.

10. Is irctc e-ticket with RAC status considered a valid ticket or not? Are people
allowed to travel on RAC tickets on Indian Railways?

Passengers having ticket in RAC status are considered having valid tickets.
This is applicable to both tickets booked online (e-ticket) and tickets booked
over the counter (PRS ticket). They are allowed to travel in train in such cases.

11. What is the seat arrangement of a RAC ticket for a female passenger travelling
alone?

The indian railway seat allocation systems tries to allocate seats together to
two female passengers travelling alone and both having ticket in RAC status.
But there it is not guaranteed and there have been instances when a female
 RAC passenger is allotted a seat with a male RAC passenger. In such cases,
one can search for other female passenger having similar scenario and then
they can exchange their seats so that both the female passengers share same
berth. If such arrangement is not possible, the one should ask TTE to solve the
problem. The TTE can either confirm the seat or can pair with female RAC ticket
holder in other coaches having same problem.

Chart preparation:
12. What does chart preparation in indian railways mean?

During chart preparation final seat allotment is done for all the passengers.
Some waiting list tickets are confirmed. Berth and coach number is assigned to
all passengers having final status as confirmed or RAC while fully waiting list e-
tickets are automatically cancelled. Some passengers also get upgraded which
means they get accommodation in higher class without paying any extra
charge. Fully confirmed tickets cannot be canceled after chart preparation.

13. When is charting done for a train in indian railways?

With effect from 12th November 2015, chart preparation will take place twice -
once 4 hours before scheduled departure time of train while second and final
chart will be prepared 30 minutes before the departure time. According to the
revised rules, booking will be allowed on internet as well as at reservation
counters for a particular train, subject to availability of berths, even after the
preparation of first reservation chart. For trains originating early morning,
charting can also be done at night. In case train is delayed, the chart may be
prepared after the trains scheduled departure time but before the actual depart
time of the train.

14. What to do if my name does not appear in chart?

If a passengers name does not appear in chart he or she should not board the
train. This can happen if the passengers ticket did not get confirm. If your ticket
is confirmed and still cannot find your name in the chart, then you might have
done some mistake on your part such as looking at chart of wrong coach or
while booking putting wrong train code or wrong date etc. One should consult
the train TTE before boarding the train in such cases.

Tatkal & Premium tatkal:

15. What does TQWL mean?

TQWL stands for Tatkal Quota waiting list. Indian railways used to issue CKWL
for tatkal quota waiting list which it recently changed to TQWL. If tatkal ticket
goes up, it directly gets confirmed and doesnt go through RAC status unlike
GNWL. During chart preparation, general waiting list (GNWL) is preferred over
tatkal waiting list (TQWL) therefore tatkal waitlisted tickets are less likely to get
confirmed. Follow these tatkal booking tips to get a confirmed tatkal ticket.
16. What is the fastest payment option on IRCTC to buy Tatkal tickets?

Booking tatkal ticket in indian railways is not an easy task. It is a race against
time and a couple of seconds can make a difference between confirmed tatkal
ticket and waiting one. Payment is a portion where many ticket bookings fail. If
one is able to make fast and successful payments, then he or she has more
chances of booking confirmed tatkal ticket. Now-a-days OTP verification has
been made mandatory by IRCTC for ticket booking therefore one should keep
his/her phone nearby to get the OTP sent to phone. The fastest mode of
payment in such cases is using internet banking (preferable by HDFC or ICICI
bank). Credit cards can be equally fast if one has already saved the credit card
details.

17. What are some tips for booking tatkal ticket on IRCTC website?

Visit: https://www.trainman.in/article/tatkalBookingTips/

18. I have a ticket in general quota which is in waitlisted status. Should I book tatkal
ticket or wait for waiting list ticket to get confirmed?

You should check the confirmation chances of your waiting ticket

at https://www.trainman.in/ . If the chances are pretty low, go for tatkal ticket.

19. Is it allowed to travel in Indian Railways if we have a waiting list tatkal ticket?

Ideally, you should not travel in train on waiting list tickets. In premium trains
such as rajdhani, shatabdi and duronto, the passengers having PRS waiting list
ticket (ticket booked over-the-counter), if found, are fined and asked to deboard
at the trains next halt. In other trains, the TTE does not interfere and let you
travel but still it is not advisable as it causes inconvenience to other passengers
who have confirmed berths. Please do not board the train under any
circumstances if you have a fully waitlisted e-ticket. It gets automatically
cancelled on chart preparation and passenger is treated as traveling without
ticket in such cases.

20. Can my waiting list tatkal ticket get confirmed?

Tatkal waiting list ticket (TQWL) have least chances of confirmation. Therefore
it is best not to rely upon tatkal waiting list tickets. Still, if you want to travel you
should first check you ticket confirmation chances
at https://www.trainman.in/ to get an idea beforehand.

21. Can we cancel a "Tatkal waiting list" ticket?

Yes, waiting list and RAC tickets of both general and tatkal quota can always
be cancelled. A nominal clerkage fee of Rs.60 per passenger is deducted by
railways and the remaining amount is returned back to the customer.

22. What should I do if I have booked a confirmed tatkal ticket but I have to cancel
my trip?
 There are no refunds on cancellation of confirmed tatkal ticket i.e. where
reservation of all passengers is confirmed. But, for some reason if you dont
want to undertake your journey in this case, you should still cancel your tickets.
This ensures that some passengers in waitlisted status are confirmed and they
are saved from the anxiety of waiting till the last moment for getting the final
fate of their ticket. If you dont cancel your ticket, then there's a chance that TTE
will not take an impartial decision and allot your berth to someone undeserving
but paying more money.

23. Is there any possible way that I can get a tatkal ticket for sure online?

The procedure is same for everyone. Login to irctc website at 10am for booking
in ac classes or at 11am for non-ac classes, a day before journey and fill in all
the details as quickly as possible. There is no guarantee that you will be able
to book a confirmed tatkal ticket. However, you can use some tips and tricks
which increase your chances of getting confirmed ticket in tatkal quota. You can
find a few such tricks at https://www.trainman.in/article/tatkalBookingTips/

24. What is premium tatkal quota?

IRCTC introduced premium tatkal quota (PT) on October 1, 2014 on an

experimental basis on 80 trains including Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani, August
Kranti express, Vaishali express and Sapt Kranti express. Half of total tatkal
berths will be sold under premium tatkal quota for such trains. It follows dynamic
pricing which means that ticket price increases with demand. It can only be
booked online. No waiting list and RAC tickets are issued under premium tatkal
quota. Other rules for this quota are similar to tatkal quota such as no refund
on cancellation of confirmed ticket.

25. Can I get waiting list ticket in premium tatkal quota?

Neither waiting list nor RAC tickets are issued in premium tatkal quota. You can
only book confirmed ticket.

26. How much fare is charged for ticket booked under premium tatkal quota?

After booking of the first 50% of tatkal tickets under tatkal quota, the subsequent
50% tatkal tickets are sold on dynamic pricing under premium tatkal quota.
Fares will increase by 20% after each slab of 10% berths are sold subject to
the existing cap (maximum fare chargeable) on dynamic fare. So the premium
tatkal fare is greater than tatkal fare but lesser than twice the tatkal fare.

27. Can I cancel premium tatkal ticket?

No refunds are given on cancellation of tickets booked under premium tatkal

quota. How ever, if for any reason you dont undertake your journey it is better
to cancel it.

Cancellation & Refund:

28. How much cancellation charge is levied if I cancel my confirmed ticket?

W.e.f 12th November 2015, if a fully confirmed ticket is cancelled 48 hours

before the train departure time, the cancellation charges per passenger are -
Rs.240 for First AC (1A)/ Executive Class (EC), Rs.200 for Second AC (2A)/
First Class (FC), Rs.180 for Third AC (3A)/ AC Economy (3E)/ AC Chair car
(CC), Rs.120 for Sleeper (SL) and Rs.60 for Second sitting (2S). Between 48
hours and 12 hours before depart time, 25% of the total fare is deducted
whereas between 12 hours and 4 hours before train departure 50% of the total
fare is deducted. If less than 4 hours is remaining in train departure, then no
refund is given on cancellation of confirmed tickets.

29. How much cancellation charge is levied if I cancel my waiting list / RAC ticket?

W.e.f 12th November 2015, if a ticket having all passengers as waiting list or
RAC or some passengers having waiting list while some as RAC is surrendered
for cancellation at least 30 minutes before the train departure, entire amount is
refunded after deducting clerkage charge which is Rs.60 per passenger. This
remains same across all travel classes. No refund is given if less than 30
minutes is remaining in train departure. However, if an e-ticket has all
passengers as waiting list, it gets automatically canceled and amount is
refunded to passengers account.

30. How much cancellation charge is levied if I cancel my paritally confirmed ticket
i.e. some passengers are having confirmed status while others have RAC or
waiting-list status?

W.e.f 12th November 2015, on cancellation of a partially confirmed ticket, full

refund of fare less clerkage (Rs.60) shall be admissible for confirmed
passengers also, subject to the condition that the entire ticket is surrendered
for cancellation upto thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

31. How can I cancel counter (PRS) ticket for night trains? The reservation counter
usually closes at 8 p.m. and chart might not get prepared by that time.

In case no facility of cancellation of RAC or waitlisted ticket issued through PRS

is available at the station originating the journey for night trains leaving between
2100 hours and 0600 hours (actual departure), the refund of fare shall be
admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation
office.

32. Will I get refund if I cancel a tatkal waiting list e-ticket before chart preparation?

On cancellation of tatkal waiting list same rules apply which apply for
cancellation of general waiting list. So, if you cancel a waiting tatkal ticket before
the second and final chart preparation (i.e. at least 30 minutes before scheduled
departure time) you will be refunded the entire amount less clerkage which is
Rs.60 per passenger.

33. Can we cancel only one passenger in irctc train ticket?

 Yes you can cancel only one passenger or only some passengers on irctc train
ticket. But, special care has to be taken in cancellation of tatkal tickets. If you
cancel all the master passengers i.e. passengers for whom the identity details
are mentioned on tatkal ticket, then complete ticket gets cancelled.

34. Can I get a refund if my train is running late?

If your train is running late by more than three hours at the station where your
journey begins and you do not want to undertake the journey, you can cancel
the ticket. No cancellation charges or clerkage fee is charged and full amount
is refunded even for confirmed tatkal tickets. For e-tickets, the TDR should be
filed before the actual departure of the train for availing full refund. For PRS
tickets, the ticket should be surrendered before the actual departure of the train.

35. I missed my connecting train because my current train arrived 5 hours late. Can
I get a refund on my onward journey ticket?

There is no provision of refund in indian railways if you missed your connecting

trains because your current train got delayed. However, if you are able to cancel
your ticket (or file TDR for e-tickets) within 2 hour of actual departure of
connecting train you might get 50% refund on your onward journey ticket.

36. How to cancel the ticket after chart has been prepared?

For PRS tickets, you can always goto ticket counters. For e-tickets, one needs
to file TDR at least 30 minutes before the train departure. After this time, no
refund is given for any ticket.

37. How much time does it take to get refund after filing TDR in indian railways?

Usually it takes 4-8 business days to get the refund amount back into your
account after filing TDR.

Others:
38. I have a proper confirmed ticket which I booked over the counter. Do I still need
to carry any identity proof?

For all the tickets, including tickets booked over the counter, where a reserved
seat/berth is given to the passengers at least one passenger per ticket needs
to carry his/her ID proof IN ORIGINAL. Photo copies of id proof are NOT
accepted. This is applicable for all air-conditioned classes, sleeper and
reserved second seating class. For tatkal quota, ID proof on which the ticket
was booked needs to be carried. Passengers failing to produce the original
ID will be treated as ticketless passengers and charged accordingly.

39. I somehow deleted the irctc sms received on my mobile. I dont even have ticket
printout but I know my coach and berth number. Will I be allowed to travel in
indian railways?
 There is an option of resend sms in irctc website. The same sms will be sent
to the mobile number initially provided while booking the ticket. This option can
be exercised a maximum of 3 times. In worst case scenario, if you neither have
sms nor the print-out but you know your coach and berth, then you can still
board the train with valid id proof. Rs.50/- shall be collected as penalty provided
original ID is produced - in the absence of ID you will be treated ticket less
traveler. But, practically TTE does not even impose fine in such cases.

40. Which is the best berth to choose in the 3A/SL class on Indian trains?

For single youths upper berth is the best. You can sleep whenever you want
and you can always sit on the lower berth if you want. But for short journey or
day journey, side-lower berth is also good which allows you to enjoy the view.
For elders lower berth is best because for them climbing on middle and upper
berths is cumbersome. If you are a family, ensure you get all berths inside the
same bay with at least one lower berth.

41. How can we change the passenger name on the ticket? Can any relative of
passenger travel on the same ticket on his behalf?

Yes it is possible to change the passenger name of a reserved ticket in indian

railways.. For this, the passenger has to put a request in writing to the Chief
Reservation Supervisor of the train boarding station, 24 hours before the
scheduled departure of the train, that the reservation made in his name may be
transferred to another member of his family, meaning, Father, Mother, Brother,
Sister, Son, Daughter, Husband and Wife.

42. How do I identify whether a PNR number is actually true or not?

You can always check the current status of any irctc PNR on trainman. Either
you will get valid passenger and train details like train number, berths allotted
etc. or if the PNR is invalid you will get an error message saying PNR Flushed
/ Not yet generated.

43. Is PNR number on indian railways tickets unique? Is it ever reused?

Once the journey date passes for a PNR, it is flushed after 1-2 weeks to be
reused later.

44. Can I know whether a IRCTC ticket is booked on my name if I dont have any
details like PNR status?

For security purposes, Indian railways does not divulge passenger details such
as name, sex, age etc. when PNR status is checked on indian railways website.
The only way to confirm that the PNR exists in your name is to check in the
chart which is pasted on the respective coaches on the journey date.

45. In how much advance can I book ticket of any train?

 The advance reservation period aka ARP for booking tickets in indian railways
is 120 days.

46. Can I file a case against indian railways if my train got delayed?

You can request information from railways as to what caused the delay by filing
an RTI. As railway comes under central government, they have to give an
answer within 30 days of your application submission. The website for filing RTI
is: https://rtionline.gov.in/ . But you cannot file a case as railways has nowhere
written that they are responsible if the train gets delayed. For important events
such as examinations/interviews, medical treatment, catching flight etc. one
should always take a buffer of at least a day while booking tickets. And also
check the delay history of train on trainman before booking. A lot of trains get
delayed in the kanpur-allahabad-mughalsarai section.