TrainTicket.info

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.

Why it moves, or does not

Fed by a small residual allocation, with no claim on the general pool.

What to do about it. Uncommon and slow-moving. Look for a GNWL alternative on the same route.

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

RQWL

Request Waiting List

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

Why it moves, or does not

Fed by a small residual allocation, with no claim on the general pool.

Uncommon and slow-moving. Look for a GNWL alternative on the same route.
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 RQWL

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.

RLWL

Clears slowly

Remote Location Waiting List

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

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.

RAC

You can board

Reservation Against Cancellation

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

RQWL questions

What does RQWL mean in a train ticket?

RQWL stands for Request Waiting List. Passengers whose origin-to-destination pair does not map onto any of the standard quotas, so the request is pooled separately.

Does RQWL get confirmed?

Fed by a small residual allocation, with no claim on the general pool. Uncommon and slow-moving. Look for a GNWL alternative on the same route.

What is the difference between RQWL 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. RQWL draws on a much narrower source, so the two numbers are not comparable — a low RQWL 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.

Refund calculator