How to book easily train tickets in India

To travel through India by train, it is convenient that you familiarize yourself with the classes of day and night trains in India and their characteristics. Whether you are going to book train tickets in India on your own, or if you are going to ask a travel agency, you will save surprises.

Train journeys can be done quite comfortably and are an experience mixing with the local population that cannot be compared to any other. Let’s see what the Indian Railways trains are like.

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Book a train in India step by step

Class in night trains

The night trains in India are those that make journeys of several hours that include at least one night on the train. The trip of many trains includes two and even three nights. India’s longest train between Amritsar and Guwahati lasts almost four days.

These trains have a configuration in categories that come from colonial times. The Indian Railways padded in the 1960s all the seats, which were previously made of wood for the most popular classes. Later, the air conditioning was incorporated. From least to greatest, I present the four classes of these trains:

• SL – Sleeper class. 3rd class without air conditioning
• 3AC – 3rd class with air conditioning
• 2AC – 2nd class with air conditioning
• 1AC – 1st class with air conditioning

Sleeper Class (SL)

The popular class on India’s long-distance trains is also the most used by backpacking travelers across India. It is a very cheap category that allows you to travel very long distances for very little money.

The compartments have capacity for 8 passengers. The front seats convert into a triple berth, while the two aisle seats convert into two berths.

One drawback of sleeper carriages is that many travelers with an unconfirmed ticket get on and occupy empty spaces or try to get the TT to place them in an empty seat. During holiday periods or religious festivals, high occupancy results in overcrowded trains, especially in sleeper class.

A MAN IN MY BUNK BED
I once did the journey from Delhi to Muzzafarpur in Bihar with 21 people in the compartment that had to be for 8. Almost 24 hours! That night a man tried to sneak into the space he was vacating on my bunk. I had to ask him to come down… But the shock of finding a foot in my face still lasts me.

Third class with air conditioning (3AC)

Among the classes of trains in India, the 3AC is the one that I recommend if you want to travel cheaply in India, but with a bit of comfort.

The distribution and numbering of the seats is the same as in Sleeper, but it has air conditioning. That requires the windows to close. As you can see in the photo that follows the text, sleeper trains have wooden shutters and open windows, that’s why they have bars. On the other hand, the cars with air have glass windows that close tightly to maintain the temperature of the car.

Another advantage of the 3AC is that there are not as many passengers wandering the carriages without an assigned seat. It is strange that someone has occupied your place, although it can also happen.

Second class with air conditioning (2AC)

The second class of India’s night trains is the best that can be usually booked. All long-distance trains have one or two cars dedicated to the 2AC.

The difference compared to the third class is that in each compartment there are only 4 bunk beds, two on each side, and 2 more on the other side of the corridor. This implies that both when sitting down and if you decide to stretch out, you will have more space.

On many trains, the Indian Railways staff make the beds for the 2AC carriages, or else they will at least leave you with clean sheets, a pillow and a blanket to cover you (the air conditioning is not forgiving).

On many trains, there is a catering service. Company personnel come to take note of your order, bring the food and remove the plates once you have finished. In this class there is a small table that can be used as an alternative, although many travelers eat directly on the seats.

First Class with Air Conditioning (1AC)

Not all night trains in India have this category. It was once the most luxurious way to travel in India, but today its high-cost and low availability have relegated it in favor of the plane.

The 1st class with air conditioning is occupied by a carriage maximum. The compartments have four beds and a small door that allows them to be closed from the inside. The Indian Railways staff prepares your bed and there is food included in the journey.

It is still used by the wealthy class who have to go to medium or small cities that do not have easy access by plane.

Train berth codes

• UB, means upper berth, upper berth. In the triple bench it corresponds to the space closest to the aisle. The advantage of this berth is that it can be accessed at any time during the trip. It is the best seat if you like to sleep or stretch out to rest during the journey.
• MB, means middle berth, intermediate berth (Only in SL and 3AC). In the triple bench, it corresponds to the central space. The bunk is formed by hanging the back of the bench from chains on the upper bunk. It is usually mounted only when the passengers go to sleep.
• LB, stands for lower berth, lower berth. In the triple bench, it corresponds to the space closest to the window. The sleeping space is the same that serves as a seat during the day. If you want to go to sleep, you have to tell the passengers to go to their bunks, so it can’t normally be used to stretch out until bedtime.
• SU, stands for side upper. The bunk in the hallway has curtains that give privacy when you stretch out to sleep. The side berth is slightly shorter than the ones in the main compartment. The seat corresponds to the lower one that has its back to the direction of travel. If you’re not very tall, this bunk is great because it’s higher than the equivalent (UB) in the main compartment area.
• SL, stands for side lower. The lower aisle bunk is formed by joining the two seat backs. Like the previous one, it is shorter than the ones in the main compartment and has a curtain to give privacy at bedtime. Your seat is the one facing forwards.

Categories on intercity or day trains

In the last decade, the Indian Railways have opted for daytime intercity trains that link major cities (Delhi-Amritsar, Delhi-Lucknow, Delhi-Bhopal). These are known as Shatabdi Express, and they run from 6 to 8 hours. They are more comfortable trains that mostly include catering service during the trip.

The newest version of this model of train between major cities is the Vande Bharat Express, right now, the newest, fastest and most comfortable train of the entire Indian railway network. I recommend you to choose them if there is availability on the route you are going to take. They serve food during the journey, the seats are comfortable, and the bathrooms are spotless.

First Class (1AC)

First class on Shatabdi Express trains is a carriage with more space per seat. It has a configuration of four seats on one side of the aisle and two on the other. The seats are very comfortable and it has little occupancy. It is sometimes called Executive Class, after the manner of airplanes.

It is the least used category, so there may be seats even at the last minute.

AC Chair Car (CC)

Most carriages on the Shatabdi Express trains have a configuration of 6 seats on one side of the aisle and 4 on the other side. This class of train has air conditioning and fans that are turned on with a switch. There is also a socket with a switch on the window side. In Vandhe Bharat, there is a socket in each seat and also a local network with entertainment if you carry your own device.

The Vandhe Bharat and Shatabdi Express trains include food for all passengers. Tea, snacks and a main meal are usually served along the journey.

Other day trains

There is also the Janshatabdi Express which is cheaper, the wagons are simpler and there is no food included, but there is some kind of food sale along the way.

There are only two classes of Indian trains included in the Janshatabdi:

• First class with air conditioning (1AC) . It is a wagon whose main luxury is air conditioning. The seats are very similar to second class. Does not include catering.
• Second class without air conditioning (Chair Car | CC). Most carriages of a Janshatabdi are single seat carriages without air conditioning. It may be enough in temperate months, but in summer and monsoon I do not recommend it.
• Unreserved seats (UR). These seats cannot be reserved and make up the most crowded cars on the trains. The seats are little or no padded benches with 6 seats per band. Not all trains have unreserved seats.

Indian local train classes

In the big cities of India like Mumbai and Delhi, there are trains that make short journeys. Seats on local trains are unreserved, so passengers sit in available spots. Often, passengers crowd into the available spaces or even hang from the doors.

Mumbai’s local trains are ticketed for first class, where there is usually less occupancy, and second class, where most passengers travel.

Local trains in metropolitan areas have cars reserved for women. The goal is to prevent them from having to travel in spaces overcrowded by men. Foreign female travelers can also use the women’s carriages, but if they travel with a man, he must go to a general carriage, there are no exceptions.

Change category when you’re already traveling

If you see that you have made the wrong category, you always have the option of consulting the TT (Traveling Ticket Examiner), the inspector, who has the complete list of passengers and will know if he can relocate you to another carriage. It depends entirely on the goodwill of the reviewer, so he tries to be nice and if he doesn’t accept it, don’t get mean. It may be that when a seat becomes free later, he will come and offer it to you.

Normally, this procedure is done in exchange for completing the fee, but it was common to leave something extra for the reviewer. It is less and less frequent that they ask you for such a tip, but it does not hurt to give a bigger bill and see what the reaction of the TT is.

Train schedules in India

Now that you know how to distinguish train classes in India, let’s talk about how timetables work. Unlike most countries in the world, trains do not have a regular schedule. Even many trains that are used to make short journeys of 2 hours have much longer itineraries.

For example, a train going from Delhi to Agra could be a regular passenger train or a train going from Amritsar to Kolkatta and stopping at Agra station. The latter have very specific schedules and departures and can have long accumulated delays from the start of your trip. It’s something you should keep in mind.

There is a mythical magazine that gave all the schedules of the trains in India. It was called Trains at a glance and although its name meant “trains at a glance”, the truth is that it was quite difficult to navigate its pages. Now, all this information is on the Indian Railways page, although you also have to understand how to read the charts.

However, you may find it more useful to see seat availability alongside schedules. You can check it on the home page of Indian Railways , although I recommend that you look for it in a travel agency that will already allow you to take the first step towards the reservation if you are interested in the ticket.

Here is an example of a travel agency that allows you to make a reservation. I like 12Go because it gives you options in train and also bus, flights and taxi to compare prices.

Historical Trains of India

India is one of the few countries that maintains historic steam trains. There are three essential routes if you are traveling in India.

• Kalka – Shimla Train (Himachal Pradesh). The most accessible on a trip to North India. It has many spectacular tunnels and bridges to overcome the unevenness.
• Nilgiri Hills Historic Railway (Tamil Nadu). The steepest train in the world. It is in the tea plantation area of the Western Ghats.
• Darjeeling toy train (West Bengal). One of the best knowns, crosses tea plantations in the eastern Himalayas.
• Kangra Valley Railway (Himachal Pradesh). To have spectacular views of the Dhauladar, the mountains of Dharamsala.
• Matheran Hill Railway (Maharashtra). Located near Mumbai, it is a 1-2 day trip from the city.

These routes are slow, and I recommend that you only take part of the route so you don’t waste the whole day in a slow and noisy transport, unless you are a huge fan of trains. For example, the train from Kalka to Shimla takes about 6 hours to cover 100 kilometers.

Keep in mind that being old vehicles, they may have breakdowns that take time to be repaired and leave them inactive for weeks or even months.

Special routes on luxury trains in India

The Indian Railways have also recovered some historic luxury trains that belonged to the Indian maharajas.

Rajasthani princes had luxury carriages that could be coupled to conventional lines or even small trains for private travel. In these trains, there were all kinds of luxuries to make the trip extraordinary. It is the closest thing to a cruise ship, but on rails.

The best known is the route Palace on Wheels, but there are also others like the Deccan Odyssey that you can see in the photo, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Golden Chariot, Fairy Queen…

Also, the Indian Railways have a train route for Buddhist pilgrims who want to see all the historical sites of the Buddha in an 8-day trip. All the information is here.

In these cases, the train company acts as a travel agency, and you have to buy the entire travel package and the proposed activities directly on its website or through a travel agency in your country

FAQs about Indian trains

I think I will have solved many doubts with this article, but if there are still questions you can leave them in comments or look at this compilation of FAQS about Indian trains.