What Is RLWL And WL In IRCTC Tickets And Which One Is Better?

by Vaishalee Kalvankar
What Is RLWL And WL In IRCTC Tickets And Which One Is Better?

If you have travelled on Indian railways, I am sure you will agree if I say that it is one of the most comfortable ways to travel. You have to book your IRCTC tickets well in advance if you have to travel by Indian Railways. For those who have previously attempted to book tickets, I am sure you have come across terms such as RLWL and WL.? What do they mean, and what is the difference? Keep reading to learn more. 

Know These Terms On IRCTC Tickets

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Cooperation (IRCTC) is an Indian Railways subsidiary that allows you to check, reserve, and confirm ticket availability online via their website. You can easily book tickets online by using IRCTC, or you can book them offline using the Passenger Reservation System (PRS). Every time you book a ticket, every ticket has a certain status mentioned on it. It will either show RLWL or WL. These are both types of waiting list tickets.

What is RLWL?

The full form of RLWL is Remote Location Waiting List. Most trains stop at important stations in remote locations to pick up more passengers en route. There will be a number of reserved seats for these locations on each train. To make it simple for you to understand, here’s an example: 

Let’s say You are travelling from station Q to station R, but the train is running from location P to S, with Q and R as its important stops. Now, when you try booking your ticket and there are no seats available, your ticket will have RLWL as its status. This means that your seats will be confirmed when some passenger cancels their reservation from station Q to station R. To know this, you will have to keep checking the status of your ticket online. 

Passengers with RLWL on their tickets are more likely to get a confirmed seat than passengers with WL status. RLWL is used to manage the sales of long distance trains or tourist trains. Every time tickets go on sale, RLWL tickets are released first and then WL. 

RLWL
Pic credits: wikimedia commons

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What is WL?

The full form of WL is Waitlisted. The term means that you do have a ticket, but your berth is not confirmed. The confirmation of your berth will depend on the cancellation of confirmed tickets. Your request for a ticket is kept on the waiting list, depending on the availability of seats. You will receive first priority when someone cancels their ticket. 

Just a few hours before the departure of the train, a final list is uploaded. If there have been any cancellations, your ticket will be confirmed; otherwise, it will be cancelled. You will receive a refund if your tickets are not confirmed. You cannot board the train if you do not have a confirmed ticket. Travelling without confirmed tickets can lead to a fine being charged. 

The biggest difference between the two is the chance of getting a confirmed ticket. 

RLWL
Pic credits: Wikipedia

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Has your ticket ever been cancelled because it was not confirmed?

Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons