TrainTicket.info

RLWL

Clears slowly

Remote Location Waiting List

Passengers travelling between two intermediate stations, where an en-route station holds its own small quota.

Why it moves, or does not

Only cancellations within that same remote-location quota release a berth to you. A passenger cancelling the full origin-to-destination journey does not help, because that berth returns to the general pool instead.

What to do about it. Moves far less than the number suggests. RLWL 5 can be worse than GNWL 40. Treat it as unlikely and hold a backup unless the number is very low.

Decode your own status

Paste the full string from IRCTC, including both numbers if it has them.

Exactly as IRCTC shows it, for example GNWL 45/WL 12.

Clears slowlyPosition 12

RLWL

Remote Location Waiting List

Passengers travelling between two intermediate stations, where an en-route station holds its own small quota.

Why it moves, or does not

Only cancellations within that same remote-location quota release a berth to you. A passenger cancelling the full origin-to-destination journey does not help, because that berth returns to the general pool instead.

Moves far less than the number suggests. RLWL 5 can be worse than GNWL 40. Treat it as unlikely and hold a backup unless the number is very low.
No honest tool can give you a confirmation percentage from this string alone. That depends on the specific train, date and quota, which needs live charting data. What the code does tell you reliably is the size of the pool feeding your position, and that is what the guidance above is based on.
Read the full page on RLWL

The other codes

GNWL

Usually clears

General Waiting List

Passengers boarding at the train's originating station, or at a major station close to it.

PQWL

Clears slowly

Pooled Quota Waiting List

Passengers on short intermediate stretches, sharing one pooled quota across several segments of the route.

RSWL

Rarely clears

Roadside Station Waiting List

Passengers boarding at a small roadside station along the route.

TQWL

Rarely clears

Tatkal Quota Waiting List

Passengers who booked under Tatkal and did not get a confirmed berth.

RLGN

Clears slowly

Remote Location General Waiting List

Passengers issued a remote-location ticket where that location's quota is administered as a general list.

RQWL

Clears slowly

Request Waiting List

Passengers whose origin-to-destination pair does not map onto any of the standard quotas, so the request is pooled separately.

RAC

You can board

Reservation Against Cancellation

Passengers just past the confirmed list when the quota ran out.

RLWL questions

What does RLWL mean in a train ticket?

RLWL stands for Remote Location Waiting List. Passengers travelling between two intermediate stations, where an en-route station holds its own small quota.

Does RLWL get confirmed?

Only cancellations within that same remote-location quota release a berth to you. A passenger cancelling the full origin-to-destination journey does not help, because that berth returns to the general pool instead. Moves far less than the number suggests. RLWL 5 can be worse than GNWL 40. Treat it as unlikely and hold a backup unless the number is very low.

What is the difference between RLWL and GNWL?

GNWL is fed by cancellations anywhere along the train's route, which makes it the largest pool and the most likely to clear. RLWL draws on a much narrower source, so the two numbers are not comparable — a low RLWL position can easily be worse than a much higher GNWL one.

Thinking about cancelling?

See what an RAC or waitlisted ticket actually refunds, and when it refunds itself.

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