Ultimate Guide to Train Travel in India

India's railway network is sprawling, serving all parts of the country barring few places and sees a traffic of over 25 billion passengers per day. The total length of railways in India is one of the longest in the world.

Taking the train in India is not always an easy task when you travel there for the first time. Here, I will tell you about the different classes – how to buy a ticket at the ticket office – how to buy a train ticket online – tips for finding tickets while limiting the number of hours of travel and all the things you need to know.

Traveling by train in India is an absolutely unique experience. In fact, when I think back to my many visits within India, train journeys come to the surface among the memories, they are an integral part of the trip. It is a place full of life where you meet a lot of people. The distances are very long, it is a perfect opportunity to take the time to talk to the locals and make some friendships. Believe me, traveling by train in India can have many surprises in store for you, for better or for worse, eh!

Train Classes in India

Indian Railways has a multitude of trains with premium trains like Rajdhani, Vande Bharat, Gatimaan, Tejas, Shatabdi, Duronto, Garib Rath, Sampark Kranti etc. and above all a large number of classes which are as follows (from the least expensive to the most expensive):

Second Class [2S]

Second class is the one most used by Indians, therefore, it is also the most crowded in populated areas. It is the lowest and cheapest. It has seats without air conditioning. A good option for small budgets, short distances and especially to have an interesting local experience. Lines over 200 kilometers have benches rather than just seats.

Sleeper Class [SL]

The Sleeper is a very cheap popular class where you can sleep on couchettes. It is one of the liveliest and also the only one where many sellers of tea, food, even cigarettes come and go. This is something you will not find in the higher classes.

AC Chair Car [CC]

Chair Car Class is a class with seats. The cars are fully air-conditioned but the windows are always closed. A good option in winter or during the hot summer months. This class is better maintained than the previous ones.

Third AC Class [3A]

Third AC is a comfortable mid-range class with sleepers. In short, it is the upgraded Sleeper Class. Generally quiet and spacious, it is the one that the middle class prefers to use. It is fully air-conditioned with closed windows.

Second AC Class [2A]

Second AC class is similar to Third AC with bunks but a notch more comfortable. For example, the mattresses are less stiff, you have a shelf, a curtain and only 2 bunk beds instead of 3 as in the lower classes.

AC Executive Class [EC]

AC Executive Class is the higher version of AC Third Class, it is the "business class". There are only two rows of two seats, which gives a lot of space and comfort. In addition, the carriages are very quiet, even silent. However, it is not a lively place.

Executive Anubhuti [EA]

The Anubhuti Executive Class is the superior version of the previous class, more spacious and with screens integrated into the seats. It remains much less present in the trains than the other classes.

First AC [1A]

First AC class is the most comfortable of all and therefore also the most expensive. The cabins are separate and contain 2 to 4 berths, a door that locks, there are blankets, cushions, bathroom with shower, catering service... In short, the best of the best! There is also the "First AC Chair Car" for first class with seats.

Which Class to Choose?

These are the main classes you will find when traveling by train in India. Others exist but only in a few other rare trains. Traveling in higher classes does not necessarily mean that your journey will be more pleasant. AC classes are very cool with the air conditioning running at full blast, the windows are closed… It is all a matter of preference and that is good, there is something to suit you!

Things to know before you travel

Whether at the ticket office or online, there are a few useful things you should know before booking a ticket:

Check on the Internet

You should always look on the websites Indian Railways or IRCTC which train to choose (mandatory even at the ticket office). These are both government sites and I advise you not to look elsewhere since the timetables and changes may not always be up to date.

The hours are not fixed

Although some trains run daily, not all of them. Some trains only run on specific days of the week. This means that if you find a train, it may not necessarily leave the next day or the day after. Always check the departures.

Moving between two distant major cities

When you want to move between two major cities, always check all the train stations that are in your departure and arrival city. In fact, the search is not done by city but by train station.

One might think that your destination is not served when it is, you just have to try several combinations. This technique also allows you to find the fastest journeys with the fewest possible stops (the “Express” and “Superfast” trains).

Travel long distances

If you have to travel more or less 1000 kilometers, the destinations are not always served. In this case you must first apply the previous rule. If you still can't find a direct, try with the other closest major cities. You will always end up finding, even if it is a matter of 50 kilometers more, you can always find a bus very easily to your final destination.

Traveling at night

Traveling by train at night is a great way to maximize your time if your stay is short. You can avoid wasting a full day of driving by opting for the sleeper cars. Plus, it's also a good way to avoid a few nights in a hotel for those on a tight budget.

This is what I do most of the time provided that the queue is not too long and the station is not crowded. To be honest, buying your train ticket at the ticket office can sometimes be a pain because the Indians all go to the front and you don't know which queue to choose depending on the class you choose. This may be the reason why you ended up here!

The queues are generally arranged like this in stations:

1. One for second class

2. Another for reservations

1. Second class

The second class is the lowest. You will identify these lines quite easily in the station since they are logically the ones where there are the most people. Just go to the ticket office and ask for a ticket. You do not need to give a specific train number since it is valid for 3 hours from the time of purchase, which means that you can take any train on the chosen line. 

2. Reservations

The others queue concerns reservations. That is to say that all classes except the second are concerned and that they require going to the counter at least 24 hours in advance. If you wish to travel before this deadline, then you will have to buy a Tatkal ticket.

– Make a reservation at the counter

1. To make a reservation you must know in advance which destination you want to reach and which train you want to take. To do this, you must go to indianrail.gov.in and click on the blue bubble (Ask Disha) or on irctc.co.in to collect your trip information.

2. The second step is to go to the counter and ask for a form that you will have to fill out. Bring a pen! Otherwise you could wait ages before finding one on site.

Registrations only in red must be changed to your information. If you are travelling with several people, only add the passengers on the same sheet. If you are travelling with a child under 5 years old, fill in the second table "CHILDREN BELOW 5 YEARS".

The "No of bearth/seat" box is rarely taken into account in the sense that you will most of the time be allocated a seat based on availability. However, I usually write down my seat preference when travelling on a sleeper train. This can be taken into account if a seat is available. For example, indicate "Upper" for a high berth, "Middle" for the middle, "Lower" for the lower one or "Side lower" for a low berth on the side for example.

Note that:

Second class ticket offices are usually located in or near the main hall of stations, while reservations can sometimes be located further back, in adjoining buildings, or even on the other side of the tracks in some cases (especially for larger stations). To save time, I recommend simply asking the locals. This is what I always do to avoid going around in circles.

Use your elbows! The queues can sometimes be unbearable as some people are champions at overtaking others. Stand up for yourself if this is the case and defend your place. No one will hold it against you!

How to Buy a Ticket Online

There are 3 options for buying your train ticket in India by Internet:

1. Indian Railways

Indian Railways allows you to view journeys and make bookings. However, the payment options are only available for Indian bank cards and accounts or virtual wallets like Paytm/Gpay. I use this site only to collect train information (via Disha) to get a ticket directly from the ticket counter.

2. IRCTC - official site

IRCTC allows you to view all trains. It is practical because it can show you the stopovers when two destinations are not served by the same line. In addition, foreign bank cards are accepted.

3. ClearTrip/Ixigo/MakeMyTrip/Yatra - unofficial sites

ClearTrip is a third party, non-government website for making train reservations. It is convenient if you don't have an Indian number to register with IRCTC (which is mandatory). However, you will pay additional commissions on your journeys. Ixigo is similar to ClearTrip and you can create an account from a foreign number. Tatkal booking is possible on this platform.

How to book on IRCTC?

You must first register on irctc.co.in. This requires you to have an Indian number. I recommend asking your hotel to use theirs or that of an Indian acquaintance, you will receive your ticket by email anyway. This is what I did the first time before getting one. If you are staying in India for a while, getting yours is something you should do as soon as you arrive. It is much more convenient!

Procedure

1. Go to irctc.co.in Then select your destination and date. Look at the route that suits you. If you don't find it, try other combinations.

2. Then select your class. You will see a red mention “WL" if all seats are occupied. This means Waiting List. If there are places available, you will see a mention AVAILABLE.

3. Log in, fill in the captcha and then fill in your information. In this section you can choose a seat in the "No preference" box, for sleeper trains "Lower, middle and upper" mean "at the bottom, in the middle and in top". They refer to the berths that are facing each other. "Side lower and side upper" refer to the berths parallel to the aisle.

4. Fill in the captcha again and proceed to payment: there are a multitude of ways to pay but many do not accept foreign cards and some charge higher commissions. Click on "Multiple Payment Service" and prefer "Credit & Debit cards/Net Banking/UPI (Powered by Razorpay)".

5. You have made the payment, your ticket appears on the same page and a copy will be sent to your email address and the telephone number associated with the account or the one you provided when registering the information.

Invalid phone number on IRCTC

Creating an account on the Indian train booking website can be a hassle at times. A common error while registering is the phone number not working and showing you an error: “Invalid number”. Make sure to indicate that your address is in India. This will display a code +91 and you can enter your number. This will not work if you have entered a foreign address.

How to register on IRCTC without number?

Go through the site Yatra/Cleartrip/IXIGO etc. if you don't have an Indian phone number. Be aware that this third-party option generates additional charges but it is a solution that can be useful to you if you are in this case.

Other solution

You can also ask your hotel or Indian acquaintances to book your ticket for you or use their account. Just fill in your personal details while applying.

Waiting List (WL): what is it?

Ah, the famous Waiting List. When you book a train ticket and all the seats or berths are taken: you are put on a waiting list. The Waiting List concerns all classes. This means that you will have to travel without a seat. You usually wait at the entrances of the carriages when this happens. For sleeper trains, the seats directly next to the entrances are usually shared by the people who are in this situation.

I can assure you that it is sometimes very painful but I have always thought that it was an excellent way to work on your patience. However, it has never bothered me for journeys of more or less than 5 hours but this may not be the case for everyone since you may not be used to adapting to this kind of travel conditions.

During the festival period, even if you are finally assigned a seat, don't take it badly if others come and sit on your seat. They have no other choice! There is always a solution:

How to avoid the Waiting List?

Book in advance

It's quite simple. The best solution is to book your tickets several days in advance and especially during the festive period when train traffic is high (even consider booking more than 10 days in advance for busy destinations). The Waiting List mainly concerns busy regions/lines. The second option is to check the availability of seats on the Internet in advance.

Quota for foreigners

The second option is to go directly to the ticket office at the station and ask for a special “foreign” seat. In fact, there is a quota of seats reserved for foreign passengers for a large part of the trains. You can only get them by making a physical reservation. It is not possible to benefit from them by booking your trip online.

Split your itinerary

Let me give you a simple example: let's say you decide to cover a very long distance by train from Goa to New Delhi but all the direct routes are fully booked for several days. In this case, you can take (still as an example) You can book a trip to Nashik and take another ticket from Nashik to Goa. Being a very long distance, it is unlikely that a seat will remain empty at all the stops on this route for so many kilometers. This is a trick that I apply regularly, but you have to try many combinations.

Can we board trains on the Waiting List?

You can board trains if your train ticket was purchased at a ticket office . Once on the train, however, you will have to pay again to be allowed to travel and if by chance a berth is free, you can take it, but it is more likely that you will be allocated a berth than you will have to share a berth with someone in the same situation as you, or up to 4 people if the train is very crowded. Otherwise, you will have to wait near the doors (next to the toilets).

You are not allowed to board if you have bought your ticket online . However, you can still board the trains if you are still on the Waiting List but you will not have a seat and no ticket since it will probably have been automatically cancelled before departure. In this case, you have to pay a fine to get a seat (if there is one). Don't panic, it doesn't make you an outlaw. Many Indians choose to travel this way when the trains are full. At the same time, there is no other solution but know that you will not be given priority among other passengers so the chances of getting a seat or a berth are slimmer.

Are tickets on the Waiting List refunded?

If you purchased your ticket at a station and your ticket has been cancelled, you must go to the ticket office to obtain a refund.

If you purchased your ticket online, the bank account you paid with will be automatically credited after a few days, with an administration fee deducted from the amount paid.

Which car should I choose if I am still on the waiting list?

The waiting list tickets are like the one shown in the photo above with a "RLWL" and a number, it only concerns the order of the list so it does not matter to you since it is only useful for the controllers. You can board any carriage in this case, so I advise you to choose your class (the fine will be more or less expensive depending on the one you choose) and to look at all the carriages in order to choose the one that is the least full of passengers, a question of comfort for your trip.

How to get a place on the Waiting List?

1. Being on the waiting list does not mean that you will spend your entire journey without a seat. My advice is to go to the station a little before departure time. Head to the platform where your train is and immediately look for a ticket inspector. They will take your ticket and assign you an abandoned seat and above all, you are lucky.

2. If you have not been able to find a ticket inspector, be patient and simply wait for one of them to come to you during the inspection. They are systematically in the carriages when the train is full.

Be aware that you will often still be a foreign traveler . When the inspectors see that you do not have a seat, they can sometimes give you priority. This has sometimes been the case for me in any case. For this reason, traveling on the Waiting List should not discourage you. If not, turn instead to buses or private taxis.

RAC: what is it?

To put it very simply, the "RAC" status is a waiting list but with priority. When you get a RAC train ticket, there is a much higher chance that it will be validated later. When a person cancels their trip, it is the RAC tickets that take the seats that become available first, then the tickets on the "Waiting List" (GN/WL).

Can you board trains with a RAC ticket?

Yes, you can, even if your train ticket has not been confirmed and is still in 'RAC' status after the reservation tables have been prepared.

In fact, RAC literally means Reservation Against Cancellation, which means that your train ticket cannot be cancelled. So you are allowed to board and you will not have to pay anything extra. You will be given priority if a seat becomes available on the train. It can sometimes take several hours for a berth or seat to become vacant. So, you should ask the ticket inspectors regularly, preferably after each new stop.

Be aware that the seats allocated to RAC passengers are mostly the lower and parallel seats to the central aisle and there are also chances that you will have to share yours with other RAC passengers if the train is crowded. On average busy lines you may be able to get a single seat or berth, but on busy lines up to 4 passengers can share a berth or 2 passengers can share a single seat.

How do I know when I'm no longer on the waiting list?

You should check the SMS sent to you by the railway company to see the status of the waiting list (GN/WL and RAC). You will be informed in this way and you will be able to see the seat that has been allocated to you. If you are not registered on IRCTC, I advise you to go to Ixigo/Yatra/MakeMyTrip etc. You must enter the PNR number of your train ticket. You will then find the status of the reservation at the time of purchase (WL in red) and its current status right next to it (in green with the number of the carriage and your seat or in red with the same mention WL).

Tatkal: Your Last Chance to Get a Free Seat

More than half of the Indian railway network has a 'Tatkal Scheme' in place. These are reserved seats or berths for passengers who have not been able to make a reservation in advance. In fact, tatkal literally means 'immediately'. The fare for this option is subject to an additional fee. Let me explain:

If you want to take a train and it is fully booked even days in advance, you still have a chance of getting a free seat since dozens of them are specially reserved for Tatkal reservation.

1. Click on General and select Tatkal from the drop-down list.

2. The opening hours are then displayed

You need to go to IRCTC two days before your departure. Click on the blue bubble "Ask DISHA 2.0", enter your journey, then select "Tatkal". The Tatkal booking will then be displayed for the next day.

Most of the time, the reservation for SLEEPER class is done from 8 am sharp the next day and 10 am for AC classes. But sometimes, it can be from 10 am for AC classes and 11am for SLEEPER class (depending on the line).

Important: If you are using IRCTC, you must definitely open the site page at least 30 minutes in advance when booking Tatkal. Otherwise, the site will be completely saturated and you will not be able to open the page during this period due to the very high number of people connected at the same time (same for the mobile application). If it is too late, turn to Ixigo/Cleartrip/Yatra etc. which receives less traffic.

Important: Also, while opening the tatkal booking, you need to be very quick and book your train ticket as soon as possible since the seats go at lightning speed, i.e. in just a few minutes. You need to book your journey the second the time changes from 7:59 AM to 8 AM (or 10 AM and 11 AM).

Safety in trains in India

Traveling by train can sometimes be complicated but rarely dangerous. If you are traveling as a single woman in india, avoid the lower classes which are often crowded, and opt for higher classes like the Sleeper.

The only real "danger" in trains in India are rather thefts when there are people. Be sure to watch your luggage when you sleep.

How to locate your train

Download Where Is My Train

“Where Is My Train” is a mobile application that allows you to locate your train in real time, which is useful in case of a delay. Simply enter the PNR code on your ticket to see the progress of your train.

View on Google Maps

The alternative is to search for the station of your final destination on Google Maps. Scroll down until you find the departures and arrivals. Click on yours, then you will see where your train is in real time with delay times.

How do I know which platform my train is on?

Both of the previous options allow you to do this. You can also look inside the stations where there are digital boards. If there are none, which is the case for many stations outside of major cities, just ask at the ticket office.

Train composition

The composition of a train often differs from one to another in India. To know your car you have to look on your ticket. They are associated with the letters that are written on the carriages (coaches). For the Sleeper class they will be divided into S1, S2, S3, S4 or B1, B2, B3 for the Third AC classes (3A) or H1, H2, H3 for the First AC for example. Be aware that the classes do not always follow. Thus, there can be several Sleeper Class carriages (still as an example) let's say from S1 to S4 at the beginning of the train and the rest of the list S5 to S8 at the other end (at the end) .

Find the number of your carriage on your train ticket. It is written below the class.

Ask for help

I advise you to ask passengers where your car is by showing them your ticket. They will always tell you. If you are late and you have not found it, just get on board, you can get off at the next stop and look for it again.

Taking the Train in India: Conclusion

While taking the train in India may seem complex and annoying at first, it becomes much easier to understand after a few trips and, above all, it is very practical. Personally, I only use land transport for internal travel within a country and even more so in India where the railway network is complete, serves almost all destinations and where trains are generally punctual.

Traveling on the Indian railways is a great experience in itself. The popular classes (Second and Sleeper Class) are perfect for getting a local experience since you meet a lot of people there and the atmosphere is generally very friendly. If you prefer to travel in higher classes for the need of comfort, I still advise you to take at least a short trip in the lower classes for your own experience and to get a glimpse of the daily life of the majority of the inhabitants of India.