Understanding GNWL66/RAC76 in Railway Reservations

Whenever you have booked a ticket and your status is listed as General Waiting List No. 66 (GNWL66), and after a few cancellations, you are granted Reserve Against Cancellation (RAC) status as No. 76 (RAC76). This means that you have entered a mechanism where you can share a seat with another passenger until your journey is complete. But what exactly does this mean, and how does it work?

General Waiting List (GNWL)

To start with, General Waiting List (GNWL) means that during the initial booking, your ticket was placed at the bottom of the waiting list. If more people cancel their bookings, you might move up the list and get a chance to board the train.

RAC Status: Reservation Against Cancellation

When you are granted RAC status, it means you are at the top of the waiting list and are entitled to a seat if a cancellation occurs. Here, the specific seat number is RAC76, which refers to your position on the list.

Sharing Seats and Seat Allocation

In RAC, you own your seat partially as there will be another passenger who shares the same seat. This means that you will be sharing your seat with another passenger, and if the RAC ticket does not get confirmed before the chart preparation, the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) might assign you a full seat once the journey begins.

Key Points to Remember

You are usually placed in the GNWL list when your initial booking does not guarantee a seat.

RAC status is granted when there are cancellations in the booking list, which moves your position to a higher priority.

Your actual seat number, RAC76, implies your position on the list but does not guarantee a full seat without further cancellations.

If your RAC status does not confirm a seat, the TTE may allocate you a full seat during the journey.

Conclusion

RAC is an important mechanism in railway reservations, designed to maximize the utilization of seats. It is crucial for travelers to understand the implications of being on the GNWL list and the RAC status. By doing so, you can better prepare for your journey and plan accordingly.