Train Travel in India

"About train travel in India, how to
book tickets through IRCTC and Cleartrip"

"Train travel in India" was last updated on April 23, 2012
All information below is subject to change

Considering train travel in India?

There's no doubt that taking the train in India is the best way of seeing the country and getting to know locals.

It's often the cheapest and in many cases, the most efficient way of traveling long-distance in India.

Taking the train can also be more efficient than taking a flight, by choosing overnight trains rather than waiting for a flight departure.

Trains ply all the major (tourist) routes in India, for instance; Varanasi-Delhi, Delhi-Jaipur or Goa-Kochi.

In this article you'll find:


Trains in India are not just for budget backpackers, but also luxury backpackers. Trains in India offer different classes; from sleeper class to AC 1 coaches.

Almost 20 million people travel by rail in India each day.

The rail network is extensive, and covers more than 60 000 km of tracks linking between 7000 and 8000 stations.

More about Indian Railway and its history:

India History: Indian Railway (opens in a new window)

I will talk about online booking in general, then about which channels you can use to purchase very cheap train tickets.

First I want to introduce you to the travel classes on trains in India and other helpful information about train travel in India:

Useful Information about Online Booking

  • Advance reservation period: 90 days

  • When can you book: The reservation system of Indian Railway is closed between 23.30 and 05.00 (Indian time).

    Updated on April 23, 2012: IRCTC has now extended its booking/cancellation time, to 23 hours. The system of Indian railway is now closed between 23.30 and 00.30. They shut down the system for one hour due to maintenance.

    World Time Zones

    Between 08.00 (more like 07.45) and 09.00 am is the busiest booking time on Indian Railway because to Tatkal bookings. So during this time period, you have to expect failouts at IRCTC and Cleartrip.

  • Before booking: There are four things you need to know before you start booking train tickets online, and those are:

    Train route, date, travel class and which berth you prefer (upper, middle, lower, side upper and side lower).

  • Railway maps: I found Samits railway maps to be very useful Samit Maps

  • Travel classes on Indian trains:

    These are the abbreviations Indian Railway use for their online booking:

    1A = First Class air-conditioned
    2A = 2 Tier air-conditioned
    3A = 3 Tier air-conditioned
    FC = First Class NOT air-conditioned
    EC = Executive chair class, air-conditioned
    CC = Chair class, air-conditioned
    SL = Sleeper Class, NOT air-conditioned
    2S = Bookable second class seat, NOT air-conditioned
    II = Unreserved 2nd class, NOT air-conditioned

    "Travel Classes" are picked up from Indiamike

  • Useful station codes:

    New Delhi: NDLS/DLI
    Delhi S Rohilla: DEE
    Jaipur: JP
    Jaisalmer: JMS
    Varanasi: BSB
    Bikaner: BKN
    Kolkata: CP/KOAA
    Chennai: MSB/MAS/MS
    Mumbai: BCT/CSTM

Return to top

How to find available trains between two stations:

Visit this site: Indian Railway

Step-by-step:

  • Go to "Train between stations"

  • Fill in the information (departure and arrival city/town, date, number of people and class)

  • Click on "Get details"

  • To get availability, click on the circle next to train number and name.

  • Enter quota: General

  • Click on the button on the top of the table: "Get availability"

  • On the next page, you'll see how many seats or berths that are available in the class you picked. Here you can click on "Get fare" to check out the price for this particular route.

  • To book the tickets, click on Internet Reservation at the top on the right side of the page. You'll then be redirected to IRCTC.

    Return to top

    For more information on train travel, visit this site: Train Travel in India: Important Tips and Advice From a Local

    The information is just awesome and informative!

    How to book train tickets India

    There are three ways of doing this online:

    • IRCTC (= Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited) -- offers cheap railway tickets.

    • Cleartrip -- slightly more 'expensive' than IRCTC, but you still get very cheap train tickets.

    Return to top

    Train Travel in India Articles



    cleartrip train travel in india step by step backpacking tips asia

    Cleartrip

    Need help on how to book tickets through Cleartrip?

    Here's a detailed step-by-step guide.

    Cleartrip



    IRCTC booking train travel in india step by step backpacking tips asia

    IRCTC

    Decided to book tickets via IRCTC?

    A step-by-step guide on how to book tickets through IRCTC.

    Welcome to IRCTC

    Return to top

    You're done with Train Travel in India, where do you want to go next?

    How to choose berths on Indian trains

    Story: Life on Indian Trains from A Backpacker's Perspective

    Leave Train Travel in India and return to Backpacking Tips Asia Homepage.





Plan your backpacking trip with these eBooks

Learn Hindi

Traveling in India? Learn useful Hindi phrases for free!

Learn Hindi on your iPod

Travel around
India

Here are some of the places you have to visit in India:

jaipur india rajasthan
Jaipur

taj mahal hotel mumbai bombay india
Mumbai

palolem south goa
Palolem

varkala kerala south india
Varkala

beaches india
Facts about India

The Bigger
Picture

Learn the social customs of Indian culture, and the history of India -- this knowledge is valuable because it will widen your horizon and understanding of a totally different culture.

Maybe it will even ease the culture shock! ;-)

india culture guru old indian man
India Culture

india history taj mahal agra
India History

Connect with
Backpacking Tips Asia

Follow me on Twitter!
Follow GoBackpacker on Twitter

[?] Subscribe To
This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Newsgator
Subscribe with Bloglines