What is WL in Train?

WL stands for “Waitlist” in train reservations. When all available seats or berths are booked, passengers are placed on a waitlist.

What is WL in train and how it works:

• Booking Status: When you book a ticket and there are no confirmed seats available, you get a waitlisted ticket.
• Confirmation: As passengers with confirmed tickets cancel, waitlisted passengers move up the list and may eventually get confirmed tickets.
• Chart Preparation: The final reservation chart is prepared 4 hours before the train’s departure, determining the final status of waitlisted tickets.

Waitlist (WL) Types

1. GNWL (General Waitlist): Most common type, for reservations from origin station to destination station.
2. RLWL (Remote Location Waitlist): For intermediate stations.
3. PQWL (Pooled Quota Waitlist): For tickets from the originating station to a station short of the destination.
4. TQWL (Tatkal Quota Waitlist): For tickets booked under the Tatkal scheme.

How It Works

• Booking: If you book a ticket and it’s waitlisted, your ticket status shows WL followed by a number (e.g., WL 15).
• Confirmation Process: As passengers cancel their confirmed tickets, waitlisted tickets move up the queue.
• Final Status: Your ticket will either get confirmed, stay waitlisted, or move to RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) before the train departure.

Important Points

• Refunds: Waitlisted e-tickets are automatically refunded if not confirmed after chart preparation.
• Travel Restrictions: Passengers with waitlisted e-tickets cannot board the train. However, passengers with waitlisted counter tickets can travel and board the train but without a reserved seat.

For more details, visit the IRCTC official website.

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