Did the abbreviation “PQWL” confuse you during your ticket booking? It is understandable! These may definitely appear confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with the IRCTC website or train journeys in general. To help you out, we have written this article covering how to book tickets and how to tell that your ticket is confirmed. We have also written about PQWL tickets. Read on to know more.
PQWL stands for Pooled Quota Waiting List tickets. There are several small stations that share a Pooled Quota Waiting List (PQWL). Each run has a single pooled quota that covers all passengers traveling between the origin and any station before the destination, between any two intermediate stations, or between any two intermediate stations and the final destination.
PQWL tickets are distributed once the Pooled Quota tickets have sold out. Confirmation of PQWL tickets is unlikely because they are lower on the priority list than even the GNWL tickets. However, the probability of confirmation of your individual ticket may be different from what is expected. To be exactly sure about the confirmation probability of your ticket, you must check the IRCTC website or download the IRCTC app on your phone.
Tickets on the Indian Railways can be reserved in advance starting 120 days before the scheduled departure date. Visit www.irctc.co.in to purchase tickets online, or use the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) at any Indian railway station to do so in person. Again, the online ticket may be an e-ticket, the printout of which must be presented at the appropriate time during travel, or an i-ticket, the latter of which will be delivered to the traveler via Courier. A 10-digit PNR (Passenger Name Record) is printed on every ticket, and it must be used in all communications regarding that specific ticket or trip. Details about the passenger and their trip are also included on the ticket. This includes the train number, the date of their trip, the travel class they will be taking, their point of departure, and their final destination. One ticket may be used by up to six people.
The status of the ticket determines whether or not the trip is guaranteed, so having one is not enough to guarantee travel. There are three possible ticket states: waiting (WL), reduced availability (RAC), and confirmed (FB).
If your ticket type falls under CNF(confirmed) or RAC(Reservation Against Cancellation) but is not part of the WL(Waiting List), then you know for sure that your ticket is confirmed.
Anything beyond that denotes that your ticket is still not confirmed. In that case, you need to confirm your ticket individually and cross-check on the IRCTC website or the app.
