Travelling by tain in India

Q8Sobieski · Post by **Q8Sobieski** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:54 pm

Hi all,

I just signed with a school in Mumbai and have been reading a lot of horror stories about the Indian rail system. In particular, can a person who has an employment visa in their passport still avail themselves of the "tourist quota" on trains? I couldn't find this topic address in the various rail websites or the Indian Railways website.

I had hoped to travel the country extensively by rail but now fear that will be impossible if I must plane all of my excursions 90 days in advance.

shadowjack · Post by **shadowjack** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:16 am

Honestly, if you don't book 90 days in advance (or earlier!) you won't get the good 1st class sleepers and seats.

2nd class sleepers are not great - the only way I would ride Indian railways is the first class. Fewer bugs and more privacy.

Mathman · Post by **Mathman** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:48 am

India trains are really bad. It's not so hard to book through agents, but you need to really really plan ahead.

I second what shadow jack said. Glad to be leaving this place

Q8Sobieski · Post by **Q8Sobieski** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:23 am

Thanks for helping me out a bit. I was really hoping to get to Goa, Agra, Shimla, Calicut, Ponducherry, and maybe even Nepal while in India. I want to travel by train to see the country but really want to convenience of the "tourist quota" in case I decide to travel on short notice. I may just end up on airplanes which I don't like.

cdn · Post by **cdn** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:37 am

I rode first class once when I was there, and the rest of the time we were in second class sleeper. The only major difference was the AC. Second class just had a window...which meant we were filthy whenever we woke up from a night's sleep.

We booked some of our rides up to a week and a half in advance, but that was it. We were roughing it though, so comfort wasn't always a driving factor. We had to sleep on the train station floor one night in order to get the right train. And then we overslept our stop and ended up in Udaipur.
You kind of have to go with the flow there

I'm not sure about the quota your talking about, but they never looked too long at my passport.

cdn · Post by **cdn** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:43 am

One more thing : don't take the overnight sleeper busses. Awful ride. We took one from Udaipur to Jaisalmer. Two of us in one "bunk" (our choice - a double bunk) that was about 1.5 feet high with a window that wouldn't shut. I couldn't sleep the ride was so bumpy and I was scared my leg was going to slip through the window and I'd wake up missing a piece.

teacher4429 · Post by **teacher4429** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:25 pm

I'm in India teaching at an international school, and I have two small children. I've taken trains with them, including and overnight sleeper train and the trip to Shimla, only first class. No problems at all. I've booked the tickets using cleartrip.com. Otherwise, we fly. Great prices and I've only had one cancelled flight in two years. Wait until you get here and you can plan all your trips then.

Q8Sobieski · Post by **Q8Sobieski** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 7:34 pm

Thanks again -- I have a todler in tow and a spouse. The "tourist quota" reserves a few seats in each class to be released at the last minute to foreigner travellers. Otherwise, reservations need to be made 1-3 months in advance.

I do think I will limit myself to the 1st Class seats. It is just availablility that worries me.

Teachermama · Post by **Teachermama** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:33 pm

I loved the trains in India. Depends what kind of a traveler you are. I don't know about tourist quotas, but I never had any trouble booking. I traveled mostly second class because I enjoyed meeting Indians. Can't recommend third class, even though it is almost free, and learn from my bad judgment: NEVER take an overnight third class sleeper. First class is definitely the most comfy, but I have as many interesting experiences from the train as from places in India.

shadowjack · Post by **shadowjack** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:16 pm

We took first class seats from Ranthambore to Agra - lovely, clean, well-serviced. Later on our trip, we rode second class on a 19 hour train trip from Khujaraho to Aurangabad...second class sleeper, only two berths booked by our travel agency instead of four...bugs crawling on the walls, a trifle dirty, not our ideal trip. Next time we go to India, if we ride the train it will only be first class sleepers or seats.