Rarely, and later than any other waitlist. A Tatkal waiting list (TQWL) clears only from cancellations of Tatkal tickets on that train, and Tatkal bookings are cancelled far less often than general ones because they are made a day before travel and refund almost nothing. Unused Tatkal berths are also handed to the general list at the chart, not to TQWL. So TQWL 5 is a worse prospect than GNWL 40 on the same train. If you hold one, book a backup now rather than waiting on the chart.
Holding one now? Check your PNR status with confirmation chances — the result names the waitlist type for each passenger and says what would help.
What TQWL is
Every train keeps a Tatkal quota: a block of berths held back and sold from 10:00 (AC) or 11:00 (non-AC) on the day before departure, at a premium. When that block sells out, further Tatkal bookings go on their own waiting list — the Tatkal Quota Waiting List, written TQWL on the ticket and on the PNR. Older tickets sometimes show the same thing as CKWL; it is the same queue.
The important word is own. A TQWL ticket is not in the general waitlist. It waits for a Tatkal berth, and a Tatkal berth is only freed by a Tatkal cancellation.
Why it clears last, and rarely
- Tatkal tickets are seldom cancelled. They are bought a day before travel by people who have already decided to go, and a confirmed Tatkal ticket refunds nothing on cancellation. Few people give one up.
- Nothing flows into the Tatkal list. When the chart is prepared, berths still unsold in the smaller quotas are handed to the general waitlist (GNWL), not to TQWL. The one event that rescues a stubborn GNWL number does nothing for a Tatkal one.
- The pool is small. The Tatkal quota is a fraction of the coach, so even a few cancellations ahead of you are a big share of what exists.
Put together: TQWL sits at the bottom of the order. GNWL clears best, RLWL and PQWL clear from small pools, and TQWL is worse than either at the same number. TQWL 5 is a poorer prospect than GNWL 40 on the same train. The letters, not the number, are what to look at — see the difference between the waitlist types.
The same number, on different lists
| Ticket | What has to happen | Realistic outlook |
|---|---|---|
| GNWL 10 | Ten cancellations anywhere on the run, or quota released at the chart | Usually confirms on a daily long-distance train |
| RLWL 10 | Ten cancellations inside one station’s small share | Uncertain; often stays waitlisted |
| TQWL 10 | Ten Tatkal cancellations on that train, with nothing released to help | Rarely confirms; plan as if it will not |
Does TQWL go through RAC?
On most trains, no. Tatkal berths are sold as confirmed and the Tatkal waitlist moves straight to confirmed when one frees up; there is no separate RAC pool behind the Tatkal quota. So a TQWL ticket that does not confirm stays waitlisted until the chart, and is then cancelled.
What happens at the chart
A TQWL e-ticket that is still waitlisted when the chart is prepared is cancelled automatically and the fare is refunded minus the clerkage charge. You cannot board on it. Counter tickets are not cancelled automatically, but a waitlisted counter ticket does not give you a berth either. The chart is now prepared about eight hours before departure — see when the chart is prepared and what happens to a waiting list after the chart.
What to do if you hold one
- Do not wait on it. Treat a TQWL ticket as a backup, not a plan. Book something else now, while berths still exist somewhere: an alternate plan for a waitlisted ticket.
- Look at the general list on another train. A GNWL number that looks worse is usually the better ticket. The journey search shows the confirmation chance for every train and class on your route before you book.
- Try a longer booking. Booking from the train’s origin, or to a station beyond yours, sometimes lands on the general list instead of a small one — booking from an earlier station.
- Keep the Tatkal ticket until the chart only if it costs you nothing to hold both; a cancelled waitlisted ticket refunds nearly the whole fare.
Tatkal itself, its timing and its rules, is covered in Tatkal booking time and rules.
Questions people ask
What does TQWL mean on a ticket?
Tatkal Quota Waiting List: the ticket was booked under the Tatkal quota after that quota sold out, so it is waitlisted against Tatkal cancellations only. Older tickets show the same thing as CKWL.
Is TQWL 1 likely to confirm?
Better than TQWL 20, but still uncertain. It needs one Tatkal cancellation on that train, and Tatkal tickets are cancelled less often than general ones because they refund almost nothing. Keep a backup until the chart says otherwise.
Does a TQWL ticket get RAC?
Usually not. Tatkal berths are allotted as confirmed and the waitlist behind them moves straight to confirmed when a berth frees up; there is no separate RAC pool for Tatkal on most trains.
What happens to a TQWL ticket after the chart?
If it is still waitlisted when the chart is prepared, an e-ticket is cancelled automatically and the fare is refunded minus the clerkage charge. You cannot board on it.
Rules quoted here are Indian Railways’ published rules as we understand them on the date above. They change; the official channel’s page at the time you book is what governs. YaatriGan is independent and is not affiliated with Indian Railways or IRCTC.