Is it safe to travel by Trains in India
Yes its safe to travel by Trains in India but make sure you travel by AC class and avoid Non AC travelling and just make sure you have an eye on your lugguage and have it locked under your Seats/Berths allocated to you.
Can i book the Train Tickets in Advance
Yes you can book the Train tickets 90 days in advance (excluding day of journey) however for some short journey selected Trains it can be booked 30 days in Advance.
Can i book the Train Tickets thru Internet and Pay Online
Yes you can book the eTickets from the website www.irctc.co.in website from 5am to 11.30pm only as per Indian Time. The site will be down between 11.30pm to 5am for daily maintenance. Visa/MasterCard including International Credit Cards are accepted, though American Express is also accepted most of the time this Payment Gateway does have errors so would say to avoid it. Register from the above website providing your personal details and you can login and proceed with the eTicket booking option and you need to make sure that you provide a valid Photo Identity details during the booking process and the same Photo Identity should be carried during the Travel along with the eTicket. You can also check the Train Availablity & Timings from www.indianrail.gov.in website (Again this website may not be available during 12am to 4am Indian Time daily during the maintenance.) There is also a third party website that you can use to check train details: http://indian-railways.rediff.com/
What are the different types of Trains
Basically for the long journey Trains you have Express & Superfast Express Trains and the difference would a few hrs variation in the journey time. Apart from the above Indian Railways also operate some Premium Trains called as Rajadhani Express and Shatabdi Express. All of the Rajadhani & Shatabdi Trains have only AC accommodation and the Fare includes Snacks, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and the fare is on higher side by 35% compared to normal Express Trains.
Rajadhani Express runs from the Country Capital New Delhi to all State Capitals and the journey time varies between 12 to 36hrs depending upon the distance.
Shatabdi Express are InterCity Trains covering max 6-8hrs one way journey and has only seat accommodation with two different AC classes. For International Tourists would strongly recommend Rajadhani / Shatabdi Express Trains if its available on the route you would like to travel.
What are the different type of Travel Classes available
The long distance trains/overnight trains has the following options.
Sleeper Class Non AC consisting of 6 berths in a block
3AC or Third AC 6 berths in a block / Good for Budget Travellers
2AC or Second AC 4 berths in a block / Recommended
1AC or First AC 4 berths individual block with door common Toilet
International Travellers avoid travelling in Sleeper Class
First AC is available only on selected Trains quite expensive on par with flight tickets rate.
The short distance trains which has only sitting accommodation has the following options.
Executive Chair Car Available only in Shatabdi Express Trains
AC Chair Car Recommended
Second Sitting Non AC basic Seats / Avoid It.
(In case of Jan Shatabdi Express Trains you can travel by Second Sitting Class also)
Though it was mentioned not to Travel in Non-AC Coaches the exception would apply for JanShatabdi Express this has a Non AC Seat Accommodation and a bit comfortable and regular checking staff are available on the Train so unwanted people will not occupy or share your seat. JanShatabdi Trains are available in selected routes like Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Aurangabad, Kolkata-Bhubneshwar and some other routes.
Iam confused and having trouble doing a Online Reservation from www.irctc.co.in website
Please Note that Indian Railways is the single largest network in the World and there are multiple Railway Stations within one City with different names. For Example: Agra has three Railway Stations which are Agra Cannt., Agra Fort, Agra City. Due to various routes most of the Trains just pass thru one of the Railway Station and do not cover the other Railway Station within the same city. I would recommend all of them to follow the below steps while going thru the Online Booking.
Once you are logged into www.irctc.co.in click on "Plan My Travel" once you see the Booking Form follow the instructions.
At the FROM field enter the Source/Boarding City/Town and you need to click on the Icon beside the From Field (if you put the mouse over the Icon it says "Fetch Station Code" This will list the Station Name. If the respective City/Town has more than one Railway Station it will list the same and you need to select one and click on GO button.
At the TO field enter the Destination City/Town click on the Icon beside the Form Field and select relevant City/Town name click Go button.
Select Class from the dropdown as AC Chair for Day Journey Trains and for Overnight trains you need to select 1st Class, AC 2tier or AC 3tier or whatever relevant. I observed that people tried using AC Chair Car for overnight Trains and it never listed any trains.
Select eTicket (Dont enable Tatkal) Click on Find Trains button.
You should see the Trains listed, see the timings and select which ever Trains suits you and click on Book ticket and follow the process.
If you do find multiple Railway Stations with the same City Name select one of them, and check for the Train List and if you dont find any trains being listed or the one you wanted to Travel, repeat the process selecting alternate Railway Station with the same City/Town Name.
For Example if you are trying to Book for a Train from New Delhi to Agra City or Agra Fort you will not find any Trains the reason being Trains coming from New Delhi do not touch Agra City/Fort Railway Stations and hence you need to select Agra Cantt.
What is the Luggage Limits and do i need to CheckIn
In AC class 40-45 kgs per person is allowed, but anyhow as nobody checks the luggage and you will need to carry your luggage along with you while you travel you can carry even more and its no big deal as long you are not taking double your allowed limits.
Where should I put my Luggage
You are supposed to put your luggage under your travel berths allocated to you for long journey trains and for short journey trains you need to put above where space is available.
Can I book the Train Tickets after reaching India
Most of the Trains travelling thru the Tourist places have a specific quota like max. 4 berths for International Tourists again in major cities during the season it may take upto 2hrs for you to get thru the Reservation Office.as these bookings cannot be done online. Trains are the primary source of travel in India and people reserve normally one month in advance and for the peak season even much earlier. The peak season for Trains in India would be January, April, May, September, October, December. So always plan in advance for the Train journey.
Happy Journey.
