How to Book a Trip on Indian Railways

If you plan to visit India, don't miss the opportunity to travel by train within the country. Indian Railways is one the most extensive train networks in the world and employs more than 1.5 million people. You can get anywhere in India by train. Book a trip on Indian Railways and begin your adventure.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Book Tickets on Indian Railways

1. Call Indian Railways at 011 ([phone] to book travel or visit their Web site (see Resources below).

2. Book tickets at one of the tourist bureaus located in most big cities and tourist areas. You can find a list of bureaus on the Indian Railways Web site.

3. Book tickets for your trip online. While tickets cannot be shipped overseas or picked up at the station, electronic tickets are available for most long distance trains. Just print out a booking reference number and supply it to the conductor on the train. There is a nominal fee for this service (less than $1).

Understand the Types of Trains and Classes in India

4. Book a ticket on Rajdhani or Shatabdi trains for the best accommodations. Rajdhani trains run overnight with sleepers, and Shatabdi run during the day. Both are for intercity service. Express, Mail and Ordinary trains offer lower quality accommodations but are viable options for budget-conscious travelers.

5. Book a ticket in one of the AC classes. There are eight classes on Indian Railways, but not all of them are available on every train. AC1 is first class and is one of the nicest ways to travel by train. AC2 and AC3 are generally the same and only really vary by number of berths per side (two and three, respectively). CC is an option for those who are content with a chair rather than a berth.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want you have tickets delivered to an address in India, such as your hotel, you must have the hotel show a letter of authorization to the courier.
• All phone numbers include the United States international prefix "011." When calling internationally from outside the United States, check which prefix to use. All country codes are within parentheses and begin with a "+" sign.
• Reservations should be made far in advance if you need to be on a specific train. Some popular routes sell out weeks in advance.
• Look out for pickpockets in crowded train stations.
• Be aware that some cities in India are referred to by two different names. For example, Bombay is called Mumbai, Madras is called Chennai and Calcutta is called Kokata.