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Waitlisted e-ticket after the chart: can you travel?

If your e-ticket is still on the waiting list when the chart is prepared, IRCTC cancels it. Here is what the rules say about boarding, refunds and partly confirmed tickets.

Last checked: 26 October 2026. Railway rules change, so confirm on IRCTC before you book or cancel.

If every passenger is still waitlisted

IRCTC's scheme for waitlisted e-tickets says that after the chart is prepared, passengers who are still on the waiting list are dropped from the charts, and IRCTC cancels the booking. They are not allowed to board the train. A person found on the train with such a ticket is treated as travelling without a ticket.

The refund is arranged from the railway by IRCTC and credited to your account electronically. IRCTC's refund rules say the amount is credited after deducting clerkage.

If you are confirmed or in RAC

Passengers with confirmed or RAC status keep their names on the chart and can undertake the journey.

If only some passengers are confirmed

On a partially confirmed ticket, the names of all passengers, including the waitlisted ones, remain on the chart. If the waitlisted passengers do not travel, IRCTC lists TDR reasons for this, for example "Party Partially Confirmed/Waitlisted And Waitlisted Passengers Did Not Travel". A certificate from the ticket checking staff is needed, and the TDR is filed up to 72 hours after the actual arrival of the train at the destination.

If a confirmed berth is given to a RAC or waitlisted passenger up to the final chart, the ticket is treated as a reserved ticket.

Cancelling before the chart

IRCTC says an e-ticket can be cancelled online only until the chart of the train is prepared. After that, use the TDR route described in our guide to refunds and TDR.

When is the chart prepared?

The IRCTC pages we read do not state a time. They refer only to "chart preparation". Check the status of your PNR in ClearBerth or on IRCTC after the chart is made.

Sources

Check your ticket in the app

ClearBerth shows your PNR status with a berth diagram, tracks your train live and alerts you when your waitlist moves. Tickets are booked on IRCTC, not in ClearBerth.