GNWL

Usually clears

General Waiting List

Passengers boarding at the train's originating station, or at a major station close to it.

Why it moves, or does not

Fed by cancellations anywhere along the route. Every seat given up between the origin and your destination can fall to you, so the pool feeding it is the largest of any waiting list.

What to do about it. The one waiting list worth holding. On an ordinary date a low GNWL number generally confirms, and even a moderate one often clears by charting.

Decode your own status

Paste the full string from IRCTC, including both numbers if it has them.

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Exactly as IRCTC shows it, for example GNWL 45/WL 12.

Usually clearsPosition 12

GNWL

General Waiting List

Passengers boarding at the train's originating station, or at a major station close to it.

Why it moves, or does not

Fed by cancellations anywhere along the route. Every seat given up between the origin and your destination can fall to you, so the pool feeding it is the largest of any waiting list.

The one waiting list worth holding. On an ordinary date a low GNWL number generally confirms, and even a moderate one often clears by charting.

No honest tool can give you a confirmation percentage from this string alone. That depends on the specific train, date and quota, which needs live charting data. What the code does tell you reliably is the size of the pool feeding your position, and that is what the guidance above is based on.

Read the full page on GNWL

The other codes

RLWL

Clears slowly

Remote Location Waiting List

Passengers travelling between two intermediate stations, where an en-route station holds its own small quota.

PQWL

Clears slowly

Pooled Quota Waiting List

Passengers on short intermediate stretches, sharing one pooled quota across several segments of the route.

RSWL

Rarely clears

Roadside Station Waiting List

Passengers boarding at a small roadside station along the route.

TQWL

Rarely clears

Tatkal Quota Waiting List

Passengers who booked under Tatkal and did not get a confirmed berth.

RLGN

Clears slowly

Remote Location General Waiting List

Passengers issued a remote-location ticket where that location's quota is administered as a general list.

RQWL

Clears slowly

Request Waiting List

Passengers whose origin-to-destination pair does not map onto any of the standard quotas, so the request is pooled separately.

RAC

You can board

Reservation Against Cancellation

Passengers just past the confirmed list when the quota ran out.

GNWL questions

What does GNWL mean in a train ticket?

GNWL stands for General Waiting List. Passengers boarding at the train's originating station, or at a major station close to it.

Does GNWL get confirmed?

Fed by cancellations anywhere along the route. Every seat given up between the origin and your destination can fall to you, so the pool feeding it is the largest of any waiting list. The one waiting list worth holding. On an ordinary date a low GNWL number generally confirms, and even a moderate one often clears by charting.

What is the difference between GNWL and GNWL?

GNWL is the general waiting list itself, and it is the strongest of them. It is fed by cancellations anywhere along the route, whereas the other codes draw on a small quota attached to one station or one pooled stretch.

Thinking about cancelling?

See what an RAC or waitlisted ticket actually refunds, and when it refunds itself.

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