The Indian Railway is, without a shade of doubt, the lifeline of India. It is the world’s largest railway network in the world under a single management. From a traveler’s point of view, train travel opens up a window through which you can see India in a unique perspective.
However, with nearly 62,000 km of rail, 7,500 stations and 7,800 locomotives, traveling by the Indian Railway can be a daunting task. Fortunately, we have simplified and chosen the appropriate trains for you. .
General Advice - things to remember
- Travel light. Limit the luggage to one medium size suitcase and a piece of hand baggage. Make sure you do not keep anything of value in the outer pockets of your luggage.
- In the over night trains your luggage are stored underneath the berths. In the day train they are kept in an over head rack, If you need assistance with your heavy baggage porters are available for a small fee.
- There is a choice of some good food available in the train and you can try them, but bear in mind that the food is made for the locals and it will be spicy.
- Generally the people are friendly and happy to converse you can definitely make some good friends while you travel.
- Do not accept any consumables from anyone.
- If you need assistance, approach the Ticket Inspector. If he is not able to solve the problem, he will direct you to someone who can.
- Drink only bottled water.
- Dress comfortably before you board the train. Changing clothes on a running train is not possible.
A Final Word
Traveling by train is not as dreaded as some of you might think. You just need a little foresight and prepare accordingly.
The Train classes we are offering are those used most commonly by foreign travelers.
Air-conditioned 2-tier (2AC)
2AC provides seats by day, convertible to bunks at night. 2AC coaches are not divided into separate compartments, but are open-plan, with berths arranged in bays of four (two upper, two lower) on one side of the aisle, and in bays of two along the coach side above and below the windows on the other side of the aisle. Each bay is curtained off for privacy, and an attendant distributes pillows, sheets and blankets in the evening. 2AC is found on almost all decent long-distance trains, and it is the way the Indian middle classes travel. It's relatively clean and un-crowded, and a good choice for most visitors to India.