Tatkal Waiting List (TQWL / CKWL)
TQWL is a waitlist inside the Tatkal quota. It is the hardest waitlist to clear, because no fresh Tatkal berths are released after booking opens.
How often TQWL actually confirms
Measured on 5,756 TQWL tickets RailTC tracked from the first check through to their final status — not an estimate.
That headline hides most of the story — where you sit in the list matters far more than the quota does:
| Your position | Confirmed | Tickets tracked |
|---|---|---|
| TQWL 1-10 | 35.6% | 3,501 |
| TQWL 11-25 | 17.3% | 1,408 |
| TQWL 26-50 | 10.7% | 624 |
| TQWL 51+ | 10.8% | 223 |
Tickets we checked once and never followed are excluded, and any band with fewer than 150 tracked tickets is left out rather than shown as a percentage. Past rates describe what happened; they are not a promise about your ticket.
How TQWL works
- Tatkal berths are sold in a single burst one day before departure. Once they are gone, the only way a TQWL ticket clears is another Tatkal passenger cancelling — and Tatkal cancellations carry no refund, so very few people cancel.
- TQWL is also taken up after the general waitlist during charting, which pushes it further back.
- This is the one waitlist where the folklore and the data agree: the numbers below are the worst of any quota we track.
What to do about it
If you are on TQWL beyond the first few places, plan as though it will not confirm and keep the ticket only as a bonus.
Check your own PNROther statuses on a train ticket
More on RailTC
Everything else worth checking while your ticket is still moving.