#Indrail PT 19 India Nov 2015

I have just spent a month in India and covered a lot of distance - mainly by overnight sleeper train. I have listed my experiences below. I emphasise this was my first time in India and I in no way claim to be any sort of expert on India trains but what I have found may help you.

• First of all there is a big difference between local trains and inter city express trains. The local ones are legendary for their chaos with people hanging out the doors. I am not writing about local trains but the fully fledged express train service.
• Once I had decided on India I used the brilliant web site Seat 61 for advice - the inside track!
• Rail travel in India is the main form of transport for both passengers and freight. The rail network is comprehensive and Indrail’s reputation is good for both price and safety. However the ticket booking system is confusing. I still do not understand it.
• What Seat 61 emphasised is that berths on the good trains get snapped up quickly and therefore the sooner you can book the better. I am talking 2 or 3 months ahead.
• You can book your own tickets from the UK I believe but it is problematic.
• Seat 61 recommended considering using a booking agent and gave the name of S.D.E.L. as a suggestion. They were really excellent. I sent them my proposed itinerary and dates. They came back quickly with a proposal and a price. I booked through them.
• I was advised AC2 class tickets and that is what I went with. My months travelling - 12 train journeys - sometimes including meals cost £167. Brilliant value.
• My Indrail pass came through promptly with the journeys specified. It then gets a touch more bureaucratic and confusing. In a nutshell somewhere nearer the journey time each individual trip is confirmed with a PNR number issued. This number is key. It also shows your carraige and allocated seat number - which you definitely need to save a massive amount of hassle. SDEL emailed me my PNR’s when they were issued and I was able to check my bookings on the Indrail website as confirmation. That is all you need to do.
• AC2 is fine - not luxurious by any means but it is all you need. There are cheaper classes including non AC 3 tier bunks. It is a matter of choice and budget of course but I would suggest AC2 is  a good compromise and it is the class used by middle ranking Indians I would say.
• AC2 has 4 bunks with 2 more across the aisle. Two passengers normally sit on the bottom bunk until you agree it is time to make up the beds.
• You are individually issued with a thick blanket (never needed), a pillow, a small cotton towel and an old style brown paper parcel containing your two proper (and welll laundered and pressed) cotton sheets.
• I slepped well but one or two personal things help. I always used a silk sleeping bag liner. It feels more personal and if the sheet comes off it is OK. I would also suggest eye covers and ear plugs.
• It can be a bit noisy - mobile phones especially and people moving around and talking. Lights can go off and on too as passengers come and go.
• Toilets are functional and basically kept clean but you don’t feel you want to hang around in them. There is usually a western style toilet too! Nothing to fear.
• I use wet wipes and mouth wash to keep myself lovely - ha!
• Food - depending on the express you are sometimes provided with free meals or you can order food cheaply. It is basic but I would trust it. You are almost always given a bottle of free water. At other times there are people selling food and drinks.
• Security. The are warnings about bags and shoes being stolen while you are asleep. There are warnings about the dangers of taking food and drink from overly friendly travellers. They drug you and rob you! However AC carriages are kept separate from other carriages and while I took precautions and was careful I never felt uneasy. Your personal things are potentially more at risk if your bunk is the top bunk. Like many travellers I invested in a link chain and padlock to secure my bags to the bed and kept my money and passport by my pillow.
• Finding your carraige and berth. From your PNR you can find the information you need. I think you can print tickets off the website in advance. I never did this. All you need for the inspector is the Indrail Pass and a note of the PNR and occasionally your passport ID. The trains are incredibly long so you need to understand how to find your carraige quickly because once on the train you cannot move all the way through it. AC carriages seem to always be towards the front. There is usually a board somewhere on the platform wall showing the train layout and you can count back your carraige from the engine. The platform too is usually numbered with the carraige number that will stop next to it.

A couple of other things :

• There are some elaborate scams. The idea is to get you to rebook your journey with them. You are told your train is not running and you have to take an alternative route. The favourite place for this to happen is just as you go on the platform you have to put your luggage through a scanner. They stop you there. Ask to see your ticket. I was prior warned but still almost fell for it. They are incredibly plauseable and practised. Just at the last minute I came to my senses and insisted I wanted to go through into the platform. My train had not been cancelled!
• Always go to the pre pay counter out side the station exit to sort taxis. I did request one or two of the hostels to meet me at the station but the problem with this is timing. The trains are sometimes late. 

Booking trains in India. I never did it but I met travellers who did do it. As I said trains are usually fully booked but they keep a percentage back for last minute or emergency travel as I understand it. I think it works like this. I believe you can enter your name on a list and you move up it until you get a berth or not. Confirmation might be last minute and I think is more expensive. Seat 61 explains how to log into a site called Clear Track ( or something like that) which makes online booking possible and easier otherwise you are in the hands of a booking agent.

I set off from England with my trains booked and paid for. I knew exactly my plan. I was very lucky - it worked out to the letter - and as a solo traveller this was very reassuring and easy.  However many travellers want flexibility or plans change. I have no experience on how to handle that. Beware India had hundreds of Tourist Information points but almost all of them should actually be called Travel Agents!

To sum up. Rail travel is the way to go in India. It is economical, it feels safe, you often have a view of India as it goes by but particularly you meet and chat to people. I have learned so much from long conversations with fellow Indian travellers. I recommend it without any significant reservation.