Indian Railways uses several abbreviations to show ticket status—RAC, WL, GNWL, PQWL—and most passengers have no idea what they actually mean. These codes decide whether you can board the train, whether you'll get a seat, and what refund rules apply.
This guide explains all statuses in simple language and helps you understand when your ticket is likely to confirm, when it won't, and how refunds work for each case. If you have a confirmed ticket and want to check refund amount, use the Train Ticket Cancellation Charges Calculator on the homepage.
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1. What is RAC? (Reservation Against Cancellation)
RAC means you are allowed to travel, but you do not get a full berth initially. Instead:
- You get a seat
- Two RAC passengers share one berth
- If any confirmed passenger cancels, RAC upgrades to FULL BERTH
Is RAC likely to confirm? Yes. RAC has a high probability of confirming before charting because many passengers cancel last minute.
Refund rules for RAC: Cancel before charting (refund minus small clerkage fee). If RAC doesn't confirm and you don't want to travel, you must cancel before charting. After charting, RAC is considered "travel allowed," so refund is not given.
2. What is WL? (Waitlist)
WL means your ticket is not confirmed and you are not allowed to travel unless it confirms before charting.
WL Types:
- GNWL – General Waitlist (highest chance of confirmation)
- PQWL – Pooled Quota Waitlist (lower confirmation chance)
- RLWL – Remote Location Waitlist
- RQWL – Request Waitlist
- TQWL – Tatkal Waitlist (very low chance of confirmation)
3. Difference Between GNWL and PQWL
These are the most important codes:
GNWL – General Quota Waitlist: Highest confirmation rate, most common for long-distance trains, moves fast when others cancel.
PQWL – Pooled Quota Waitlist: Assigned to smaller stations, confirmation probability is low, even WL 1 may not clear sometimes.
If you want your ticket to confirm, GNWL is much safer than PQWL.
4. What Happens at Chart Preparation?
Chart preparation is the final stage when IRCTC decides:
- Which WL tickets confirm
- Which remain WL
- How many RAC tickets get upgraded
Approx chart times: 4 hours before departure (majority trains), or 1–2 hours for early morning trains.
After charting: RAC → allowed to board. WL → not allowed to travel. WL tickets are automatically refunded.
5. Refund Rules for RAC & WL Tickets
Refund rules here are simple and often misunderstood:
WL Does Not Confirm: If still WL after charting → Full refund automatically to your payment method. No cancellation needed.
WL Cancelled Before Charting: Refund minus clerkage fee (₹60 per passenger)
RAC Cancelled Before Charting: Refund minus clerkage fee
RAC After Charting: No refund (because RAC is considered "travel permitted"). If you don't want to travel, cancel before charting.
6. Will My Ticket Confirm? Quick Guide
You can use this simple confidence scale:
| Status | Confirmation Chance |
|---|---|
| GNWL 1–20 | Very high |
| GNWL 20–50 | Moderate |
| PQWL 1–10 | Low |
| TQWL | Very low |
| RLWL | Low |
These are general trends; actual movement depends on cancellations.
7. If Your Ticket Confirms, Know Refund Before Cancelling
If your WL/RAC ticket gets confirmed and you later want to cancel, refund rules become more complex based on timing.
Use our Train Cancellation Charges Calculator to know: Exact refund, cancellation deduction, best timing to cancel, and chart preparation time.
This helps avoid losing money due to last-minute cancellations.
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