THE JOY OF INDIAN TRAINS

Public transport in India is cheap and if you have time taking a train is without doubt the best way to travel long distances across India. Certainly the few journeys we have made have been interesting and mostly enjoyable. Below are our reflections on how to get about by train. Apologies if anything important has been left out!

All the roads between major towns and cities are busy with buses, lorries, cars, bikes, scooters and rickshaws each attempting to as go as fast as possible. Ironically the quicker they try to undertake and overtake each other and to weave around the numerous potholes using the whole road width in spite of oncoming traffic the slower the traffic gets. With trains this is not a problem and even though ‘express’ trains are not especially fast they cover the same distance as roads in roughly the same time.

Comparable speeds and the low prices explain why all trains are full to capacity (and even exceed capacity at times). Each train can be up to 24 carriages in length and each carriage is designated for a particular class of travel.

CLASSES OF TRAIN TRAVEL

These are:

Class Name Berth/Seat	Description
AC FIRST CLASS 2/4 berth	Air conditioned carriage. Most expensive class, with fares that can be on par with airline fares in some cases. It has spacious, carpeted and lockable compartments with a washbasin. Showers and toilets are available at either end of the carriage.
AC 2-TIER 2/4 berth	Air conditioned carriage. AC 2-tier is found on almost all long-distance trains and is slightly cheaper than AC First Class and around 25% more expensive than non-AC First Class (FC). Coaches are air-conditioned with 2 tier sleeping berths, curtains and individual reading lamps. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
AC 3-TIER 2/6 berth	Air conditioned carriage. Slightly cheaper than First Class, AC 3-tier is similar to AC 2-tier, but it is more crowded than AC 2-tier, and it lacks the privacy curtains and individual reading lamps found in AC 2-tier. It has three tiers of bunks—upper, middle and lower. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
FIRST CLASS 2/4 berth	This is the way the Raj travelled, First Class has mostly been phased out in favour of Air Conditioned carriages. The fare is generally three times the Sleeper (SL) fare. It offers non-AC coaches. Showers and toilets are available at either end of the carriage.
AC CHAIR CAR 2/3 seat	Air conditioned carriage. Generally three times more expensive than Second Sitting (2S), the AC Chair Class is normally found on daytime shuttle or ‘intercity’ trains. There are a total of five seats in a row, three on one side and two on the other side of aisle. Only sitting room is provided, with no standees allowed.
SLEEPER 2/6 berth	Arguably the most popular class of travel, Sleeper has three tiers of bunks—upper, middle and lower. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
SECOND SITTING —	The cheapest class of travel on the Indian Railways, Second Sitting has ordinary coaches which have seating arrangement on cushioned seats in two rows of 3 seats each.

Our preference is for AC chair car as the seats are spacious and reclining. Unfortunately they are not available on all services. We do not enjoy sleeper trains which may be pragmatic for long distances but are particularly dark and depressing if you cannot sleep!

There is no denying that the engines, carriages and tracks are showing their age and desperately in need of replacement. That said the rail system manages to function and daily to move millions of people.

BOOKING REGISTRATION

Seats generally must be booked either by a travel agent or yourself. Booking yourself is straightforward once you work out the system. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is a Government of India enterprise on whose website you can make bookings.

First though you have to register which is relatively straightforward. You have to give name, phone number, email and an address. The system prefers an Indian address and Indian postcode (PIN) so may be possible with a hotel address.

Once registered you are issued a User ID and Password with which to login.

 

BOOKING TICKETS

To book a ticket you need to know which station you want to travel from and which one you want to go to. This can be awkward as there are no railway timetables but online you can find maps, as above, of the rail routes and stations in the different Indian states.

Once you know the start and end of your journey you enter this at the booking page with the date of travel and the capcha letters. This then offers the available trains and the days they run. In the final column is shown the available classes.

Clicking on the train and class of travel brings up the price and availability screen. This shows whether tickets are available for different dates and can be flagged as available to book now or not available at all or tickets may become available by adding your name to a wait list. Spare tickets are issued to wait listed people close to the departure date so not much use unless you can be very flexible. Generally the closer it gets to the date of departure so availability cannot be guaranteed. So book early!

The screen also shows the total cost for the one way ticket per person. Say for this example that we want to book the Kerala Express from New Delhi to Kochi on 25 January 2018 travelling in an AC 2 tier compartment at a cost of 3,415 Rupees (about £43) click on Book Now under the date.

A new screen comes up to enter passenger details – name, age, gender, seating preference. If you are not Indian you do not have the option for a senior citizen discount but you do have to enter your nationality and passport number – which will be checked on the train. There are other options that you can choose from.

Once all the details are entered click the Payment button. Another screen opens up giving a range of options for payment. For foreigners the only option is to click on international credit cards. You enter card details and confirm your address etc.

Finally once payment has gone through you get your confirmation.

You will be sent your confirmation both in an email and a text. It is advisable to take a print out of the confirmation with you as you will be asked for the paper copy or the text message on the train, as well as your passport / ID, as proof of purchase.

You will have to repeat the whole booking procedure for each single journey but eventually you will be ready to travel.

AT THE STATION

At most stations there are only two tracks so it is relatively easy to find your way to the right platform. At larger stations and major junctions you may need to ask which one for your train.

Due to the length of some trains, perhaps over 360m in length, Indian railway platforms are enormous. Gorakhpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, has a platform measuring 1,350 metres long. This means it can be a nightmare finding your seat or berth if you simply jump on a carriage as you may walk for ages in the wrong direction forcing your way through packed carriages.

Fortunately the stations take pity on the traveller and place boards near the entrance to the platform showing the make-up of the train and which classes of carriage are in what order from the engine. Additional boards may show if trains are running late and there may even be a printout confirming passengers with reservations due to board.

The really useful information is the number beside the carriage as this gives the place to stand on the platform. All along the platform there are numbered signs hanging from the roof. If your carriage is C1 you must stand near position 13 but do remember which direction the train will travel as signs and numbering are different on each side.

Although Indian trains technically run to a schedule this is notional only. The train arrives when it arrives and the delay can be anything from a few minutes to 3 or 4 hours. There are station announcements which are given in at least three languages including English. The one thing you need to know is the number of the train. The Kerala Express is train number 12626 which is how it will be referred to on notice boards and in announcements.

ON THE TRAIN

All being well your carriage has stopped near you and you can make your way to your seat or berth. This can be easy in daylight but after dark the lights are dimmed and the curtains in sleeper cars are drawn. This can make finding your right berth difficult but usually there are train staff or other passengers who will assist.

The facilities for most carriages are a bare minimum. Pillows and sheets are usually provided for sleepers although you may have to ask for them. During the day young men parade up and down carriages carrying canteens of tea or coffee or trays of snacks or ready meals such as biryani or cutlets. At night they disappear so good advice is to make sure you have your own supply of water and snacks. A torch and even a portable fan can be useful to have with you.

Toilet facilities are also very basic. There may be a European style sit down toilet but often it is just squat-type toilets at the end of each coach. Two washbasins are normally available at either ends of the train.

If you are not in an air conditioned carriage fans are available but frequently fail to have much impact especially in very crowded coaches. Most carriages have power points where mobile phones can be recharged.

Security is minimal. Carriage doors are often left wide open to let air in but they can be a good place to stand and see the scenery as carriage windows are often cracked, broken or dirty. Good advice on overnight journeys is to bring a small chain and a padlock to secure your bags beneath a seat or onto the luggage rack. There is never enough room for luggage so travel light if possible.

And finally be aware that there are no on board train announcements as you come into the platform so you have to look out for the station name signs and be prepared to move quickly as trains may only stop long enough to let passengers on and off. At intermediate stations caution must be exercised before nipping off to the toilet or shop as the train may depart leaving you stranded.

Please don’t be put off travelling on an Indian train at least once. It really is a worthwhile experience if only to make the train services at home seem efficient.