first train travel distance in india

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History of Indian Railways from 1853 to Present

History of indian railways: take a look at the history of indian railways from industrial railways, passenger railways, its story of electrification/ modernisation, and so on..

History of Indian Railways: Indian Railways is the fourth-largest network in the world, spanning over 1.2 Lakh Km across the country. Mainly, three kinds of services are provided by the Indian Railway to the public including Express trains, Mail Express, and Passenger Trains. If we talk about the fare, then Passenger trains fare are the lowest and Mail Express trains are the highest. On the other hand, Express trains fare lie in the middle. 

In 1832 , the idea of setting up a railway system in British India was first proposed. At that time, rail travel was still in its infancy in Britain, but the East India Company knew the benefits of developing an extensive rail network. After a long decade of inaction, private entrepreneurs were allowed to establish a rail system by Lord Hardinge, the Governor-General of India in 1844 . Two companies were formed by the year 1845 namely "East Indian railway Company" and the "Great Indian Peninsula Railway". 

On 16 April 1853 , the first train in India was to run between Bori Bunder, Bombay (now Mumbai), and Thane at a distance of around 34 km. The network to about 14,500 Km was developed in 1880 around the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. In 1901 , Railway Board was formed under the guidance of the Department of Commerce and Industry. But still, the powers were vested in the Viceroy. Take a look at the chronology of Railways in India.

History of Indian Railways

Industrial railways (1832 -1852), introduction of passenger railways and expansion (1853-1924), read| what does the yellow and white line indicates in the train coaches, electrification and expansion (1925 - 1950), read| do you know about world's first solar powered train, re-organisation of zones and developments (1951-1983), rapid transit and later developments (1984 to present), know about the guarantee system and guaranteed railways.

When the first proposal for railways was being debated in the 1840s in Great Britain then there was intense lobbying in support of these proposals mainly by banks, traders, shipping companies, etc. Actually, they wanted that railways should be established in India and so had a strong interest. They prevailed British Parliament to create the Guarantee System. So, any company that constructed railways in India was guaranteed some rate of interest on its capital investment. East Company honoured this guarantee and then controlled large parts of India. Therefore, the railways that were built with such agreements governing them were known as guaranteed railways. Typically, the guarantee was for a return of 5% annually. The right was also there for the railway company to pull out of the venture and get compensation from the government at any time.

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• When did the first train in India run from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane? + On 16 April 1853, the first train in India leaves Bombay (now Mumbai) for Thane. It was dedicated by Lord Dalhousie. The train consists of 14 carriages and was pulled by three steam locomotive engines namely Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan. It travelled around 34 km and carried about 400 people.
• When did the first railway budget was presented in India? + In 1925, the first Railway budget was presented in India.
• When did Indian Railways reorganise into regional zones? + In 1952, the Indian Railway was reorganised into regional zones. And on 14th April 1952, the Southern Railway Zone was established.
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Indian passenger train commemorates 160 years

The experiment yielded fruitful results, a 5.6 km rail line was laid between Red Hills and St. Thomas Mount. On 22 december 1851, the first train chugged on its way to Roorkee.The success of the train paved the way for the passenger train.

16 April, 1853 the first passenger train covered the historic distance between Bori Bunder in Mumbai and Thane. The experimental distance was 34 kms with the aid of three locomotives Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan.

The 21 minute journey set off a milestone with the passenger train commemorating 160 years of seamless travel. The historic ride was enjoyed by 400  invited passengers in 14 carriages.

The train which began at 3:30 pm was flagged off by Lord John Elphinstone who was the governor.The Indian Railway Association was begun by Sir Jansetjee Jeejeebhoy and Jaganath Shunkerseth in 1845.

India stands 4th as the largest railway network in the world

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The 1846 plan for India's first Railway line

By Kalakriti Archives

Dr. Alex Johnson

India's first railway opened in 1853, a 32 km line between Bombay and Thane. However, there was an earlier plan to build a line from Calcutta to Delhi, and this rare map from 1846, which helped hail the rise of Modern India, was prepared for the East India Railway Company's initial survey.

Map of the East Indian Railway (1846) by George Stephenson Kalakriti Archives

The construction of the railway system across India during the second half of the 19th Century utterly transformed the subcontinent’s society, communications and economy. Disparate regions that were separated by journeys that could last weeks could now take a few days, if not hours.

Peoples and cultures that historically had little contact with one another could now easily interact. Products in rural India that languished far from market could now be brought swiftly to cities and ports.

Map of the East Indian Railway, Showing the Line proposed to be constructed to connect Culcutta with the North West Provinces and the intermediate Civil & Military Stations, to accompany the report of the Managing Director of the East Indian Railway, 1849 by Unknown Kalakriti Archives

From a political perspective, it also allowed the British colonial regime to quickly move troops and civil servants around the country, solidifying its control over India.

The first railway completed in India was a 21 mile-long line of track running between Bombay and Thane, which opened in 1853. While seemingly a modest breakthrough, everyone knew that it was the prelude to a revolution – a pan-Indian Railway network.

In 1845, the East Indian Railway Company was formed with the objective of building a line from Calcutta to Delhi. Such a railway would connect the Company Raj’s capital with the ancient Mughal capital and would serve to unite India’s most populous regions.

The Gangetic Plain was India’s breadbasket and many cities such as Kanpur and Allahabad were increasingly important industrial centres.

The railway promised that, for the first time, products and peoples could be easily transported down through the plains and even to the seaport of Calcutta. The potential was enormous, and, if the railway were realized, it would dramatically transform Northern and Northeastern India.

The East Indian Railway Company was officially floated on 1 June 1845 with £4 million in investment capital – an enormous sum for the time.

Rowland Macdonald Stephenson (1808-95), an experienced railway engineer, was chosen as the Company’s first managing director. Stephenson and three surveyors immediately headed to Calcutta, arriving in July 1845.

George Huddleston, a later Director General of the Railway noted, Stephenson proceeded “with diligence and discretion which cannot be too lightly recommended, to survey the line from Calcutta to Delhi, through Mirzapore [Mirzapur], and so great and persevering were the exertions of himself and Staff that, in April, 1846, the surveys of the whole line were completed; important statistical information obtained and an elaborate report transmitted to your Directors in London.”

Copies of Stephenson’s manuscript surveys were given to the firm of the J. & C. Walker, the official mapmakers to the British East India Company (EIC). The Walker firm grafted Stephenson’s plotted proposed route of the railway onto one of its own existing general topographical maps depicting Central and Northern India, and printed the present bespoke map. Copies of the map were then supplied to the Directors to accompany Stephenson’s report.

The map is extremely rare as only a very small number of examples were ever issued. Nevertheless, it would have then served a very important role as the only authoritative graphic representation of the railway.

The East India Company, once an ambitious and hyperactive organization, by this time was beset by institutional fatigue and a lack of funds. While it recognized the value of the railways to India’s future, it proved too tired to provide any leadership and ended up presenting only bureaucratic obstacles to the railway builders. It was no surprise that following the Uprising of 1857 that Queen Victoria would put the “Honourable Company” out of its misery and replace it with Crown rule over India.

After three years of delays, in 1849, the EIC finally allowed the East Indian Railway Company to build an “experimental line” from Calcutta to Rajmahal (Jharkhand), a length of 100 miles.

In 1850, Stephenson appointed George Turnbull (1809-89), a highly experienced Scottish railway engineer, to lead the construction efforts. Turnbull would later gain great acclaim as the “First Railway Engineer of India”. Turnbull proceeded to survey the exact line of the new route and to design the Howrah Terminus, across the Hooghly from Calcutta, which, with 23 platforms, would soon become the largest rail station in Asia. Construction commenced in 1851 and proceeded slowly due to supply problems and the continued lack of cooperation from the EIC. The first stretch of line from Howrah to Hooghly, only 23 miles long, was opened for traffic in 1854. The construction then continued in the direction of Rajmahal.

Progress was further retarded by the Uprising of 1857, during which many supplies and pieces of track were stolen. A cholera epidemic in 1859 killed over 4,000 railway workers. Yet, the project still moved forward. The biggest technical obstacle that lay ahead was building a bridge over the 1-mile wide breadth of the Son River, the Ganges' largest southern tributary. This bridge (today’s Koillar or Abdul Bari Bridge) would turn out to be a great feat of engineering, being the longest bridge in India built before 1900. Commenced in 1856, it was not finished until 1862.

The line running all the way from Howrah to Benares was opened in 1862.

Another section of the line was being built separately along the Ganges Valley, with a line connecting Kanpur to Allahabad being completed in 1860, while Benares and Allahabad were connected in 1863. By 1866, all gaps between Howrah and Delhi were filled in and direct service along the entire line commenced.

Meanwhile, the pioneering, yet tiny, Bombay-Thane line had grown into the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. By 1870, it ran from Bombay to Allahabad, connecting the two great railways and making it was possible to traverse India in only a few days.

While the rail system had the effect of tightening the British Raj’s grip over India, over time, by allowing Indians from different parts of the country to easily interact with each other, it contributed towards fostering a coherent sense of national identity. In this way, it was a critical precondition to rise of the Indian Independence movement. Today, the custodian of the integrated national railway system, Indian Railways, employs over 1.3 million people, runs 151,000 km of track, and operates over 7,000 stations.

Author: Dr. Alex Johnson References 1. Cf. George Huddleston, George (1906), History of the East Indian Railway , (Calcutta, 1906) 2. Hena Mukherjee (1995), The Early History of the East Indian Railway 1845–1879 , (Calcutta, 1995) 3. M.A. Rao, Indian Railways , (New Delhi, 1988)

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History of Indian Railways

Last updated on September 29, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Indian Railways is the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size and total route length. The history of Indian railways is more than 150 years old. Read here to learn about the history, present, and future of the Indian Railways.

The Indian government owns and operates Indian Railways . A monopoly on the nation’s rail transportation was held by Indian Railways until relatively recently.

Around 750 million tonnes of freight are transported on one of the world’s busiest and biggest rail networks each year, carrying little over six billion people.

Indian Railways employs more than 1.6 million people worldwide, making it the largest commercial or utility employer.

Table of Contents

1832-1837: In Madras, India’s initial railway ideas were made in 1832. Between 1836 and 1837, Arthur Cotton’s Red Hill Railway, which was designed to transport granite for road construction, went from Red Hills to Madras’s Chintadripet Bridge.

The first railway on the Indian sub-continent ran throughout 21 miles from Bombay to Thane.

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1843: The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan, and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.

1853: The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm “amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns.”

1854: The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station destined for Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15th August 1854.

Thus, the first section of the East Indian Railway was opened to public traffic, inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of the sub-continent.

1856: In the south, the first line was opened on 1st July 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Vyasarpadi Jeeva Nilayam (Veyasarpandy) and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles.

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1859: In the North, a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3rd March 1859.

1862: The first Railway Workshop was established at Jamalpur, near Munger, Bihar, in 1862. It gradually became one of the major industrial units of India, with iron and steel foundries, rolling mills, and more.

1864: The north got its first station – the Delhi Junction. The oldest one of the cities, it was a major station and junction and remains so to date.

It was first established near Chandni Chowk in 1864 when trains from Howrah/Calcutta started operating up to Delhi. The current building was made operational in 1903.

1875: The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October 1875.

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These were the small beginnings that in due course developed into a network of railway lines all over the country.

By 1880 the Indian Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000 miles.

1880: The Darjeeling Steam Tramway (later the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) started its first section between Siliguri and Kurseong. The line was extended to Darjeeling in 1881.

This Line operated on Narrow Gauge and was accorded World Heritage Status in 1999, the first Railway in Asia to get such a standing.

1895: After four decades of importing ready-made British locomotive parts for assembly, in 1895 the first steam locomotive was manufactured completely in India at the Ajmer Workshop.

1899: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is among the first, and still outstanding, examples of a Hill Passenger Railway. Opened in 1899, it was extended up to Ooty in 1903. It was a bold and ingenious engineering initiative to establish a rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty.

The “engineering marvel” still stands, a testimony to the skills of Railway Engineering. It was accorded World Heritage Status in 2005.

1903: The Kalka Shimla Narrow Gauge Railway opened for traffic in November 1903. This line was accorded World Heritage status in 2008.

Indian railways, the premier transport organization of the country is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second-largest under one management.

1914-20: The railroads were employed to suit British demands outside of India as the First World War broke out. The railways had seen great losses and were in disrepairafterf World War One. In 1920, the government assumed control of the Railways and severed the connection between their funding and other state resources, a practice that is still in place today with a distinct railway budget.

1945-47: Trains were redirected to the Middle East during the Second World War , and railway workshops were turned into weapons factories, severely crippling the railroads. A sizable chunk of the railways was allocated to the then-recently created Pakistan at the time of independence in 1947.

A total of 42 different railway networks, including 32 lines held by the former Indian princely states, were combined to establish the Indian Railways, a unified organization.

1951: The organization of Indian railways into regional zones began in 1951, when the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November 1951), and Western (5 November 1951) zones were created.

National Rail Museum, the first rail museum in India, was established in 1977 at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The Indian Railways now have 33 Museums, Heritage Parks and Galleries spread all across the country.

The railways became popular at an unprecedented speed. The frequency and the number of trains were increasing as more and more people become dependent on its services.

At the same time, there was a need to enhance the safety of the passengers and the number of trains on the track increased. Many instruments were thus developed for better management of railway sections.

Railway Infrastructure

Pamban Bridge is the railway bridge that connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India.

• Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India’s first sea bridge.
• The rail bridge is, for the most part, a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers, but has a double-leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through.

One of the latest challenges undertaken by the Indian Railways is the building of the steel arch bridge over the Chenab in Jammu.

The history of Indian Railways spans over 160 years since its existence, the Railways in India have grown and expanded by leaps and bounds, yet there are still unchartered territories to cover. Slowly but steadily the railways are connecting every part of India, which with the constant innovations in technology is much easier to do today than it was before.

Though the newer generation is more used to air travel and automobiles, the railways must continue to grow; because even with all the other options available, the experience of an Indian train ride will remain unparalleled and continue to enthrall people for generations to come.

Today, Indian Railways manages the fourth-largest rail network in the world, with tracks spanning more than 120,000km of the country.

The railway is preparing for the future with several initiatives. Free WiFi services were envisaged to be provided at more than 7,000 stations by 2019, and Railways has invested in greener technologies in a bid to meet 25% of its power demand with renewables, primarily solar, by 2025.

Related article:  Socio-economic effects of Railways worldwide

­ -Article written by Swathi Satish

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Indian Railways: Battle of the Gauges

• AUTHOR Cynthia Meera Frederick
• PUBLISHED 22 April 2021

The distance between the two inner faces of the railway track is called ‘gauge’, and for a century after the railway came to India, there was a raging debate over what that distance should be. Often, the politics of the day, hardcore economics and, sometimes, even the personal whims of Rajas and Maharajas, played out within that narrow margin, which ranged from 5 feet, 6 inches, to just 2 feet.

The only constant during this century-long debate was the constant switching between tracks, figuratively and quite literally, till a uniform gauge was adopted – the broad gauge. This great debate began with Lord Dalhousie, Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856. He was one of the strongest advocates of a railway system in India, one of the many reforms he introduced to consolidate British rule in the subcontinent.

It was Dalhousie who convinced the authorities in Britain that India was ready for the railway and was at the helm in India when the first train chugged out of Bori Bunder station in Bombay in 1853. Dalhousie was determined to build an efficient rail network, and one that would use a uniform gauge. He hoped the subcontinent’s new railway would benefit from the lessons learnt from the use of different gauge systems in Britain.

Dalhousie recorded the need for uniformity and consistency of gauge in his famous Railway Minute dated July 4, 1850. His primary concern was trade and commerce. Having different gauge systems in the same country would hamper interconnectivity, and this, in turn, would greatly compromise the movement of goods. The East India Company (EIC), you see, was a trading company and commerce and profits were top priority.

One of the primary players in the business of railway development in India was the East Indian Railway Company (EIR), a private, London-based company, which later had its India headquarters in Calcutta. In 1847, the EIR’s directors sent a team out to India, to study the feasibility of setting up a railway network there. The directors of the East India Company too had sent their own consulting engineer to conduct his own investigation.

It was believed that a wide gauge would be sturdier and could withstand the testing conditions of India’s tropical climate, which was blessed with a heavy monsoon, storms and extreme heat. When combined with a diverse, rugged and often unforgiving terrain, the challenges would only multiply.

Dalhousie felt that a 6-foot gauge would be ideal for the subcontinent and couldn’t stress enough the need to have one single, uniform gauge system throughout the country. Even so, the EIC directors leaned towards the British standard gauge of 4’ 8.5”. Thoroughly dissatisfied, Dalhousie counter-proposed a 5’ 6” gauge, and the EIR directors agreed.

This gauge, born of a compromise, would be referenced as ‘broad gauge’, and it remained the norm for all networks in this initial phase of railway development in India. This included the launch of the railway in India by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR), which rolled out the first ‘fire-eating monster’, or a steam locomotive, on that epoch-making day in Bombay, on 16th April 1853.

But successive Governors-General, Lord Canning (1858-62) and Lord Elgin (1862-63), wanted to build auxiliary transport networks in India, which included narrow gauge tram and light railways. These would cost less than broad gauge and meant that the rail network could also expand quickly.

This enthusiasm – and urgency – stemmed not from a focus on passenger comfort or convenience (even though profits were derived from ticketed travel and haulage fees) but on maximising profits that would arise from the swift and efficient movement of goods, agricultural produce and mineral resources across long distances.

A Piece of the Railway Pie

The arrival of the railways in India had everyone agog and it wasn’t long before everyone – everyone – wanted a piece of this exciting pie. While the Calcutta-based EIR and Bombay-based GIPR remained key entities in this scenario, there were many other railway companies that sprung up. These were owned either by the colonial government, private entities or the Princely States, each one keen on viable solutions for cheap, yet durable, rail expansion to augment their respective systems. So the issue of gauge kept cropping up, the low-cost benefit of narrow gauge usually winning every argument.

Sections of the Gaekwar of Baroda's State Railway were completed on a smaller 2' 6" gauge in 1863, and the EIR also experimented with a 4-foot gauge for smaller sections, but eventually, it stuck to broad gauge.

Governor-General Sir John Lawrence (1864-69) was a prominent votary of the narrow gauge system, chiefly for its economic merits. In 1869, Lord Mayo was appointed Governor-General of India and in his Railway Minute dated 30th December 1870, he ardently championed a smaller gauge system, set at 3’3” – about one metre, or the ‘metre gauge’.

Mayo was also an advocate of the metric system in general, and campaigned for its use not only in Indian railway gauges but also as the country’s universal standard unit for weights and measures. However, in 1870, the Secretary of State for India, the Duke of Argyle, had lobbied for an even smaller, 2’ 9” gauge, so it would appear that the metre gauge came about as fair compromise between his preferred gauge and the more universal broad gauge. By early 1871, the metre gauge was firmly embraced in India.

Throughout his tenure, Mayo stayed a diehard fan of the metre gauge and advocated it exclusively for all new routes across subcontinental India. He was also hell bent on ripping up miles and miles of broad gauge tracks and replacing them with metre gauge. It also appeared inevitable that he might overhaul the entire system of weights and measures in favour of the Continental metric system. However, despite his crusade, the metric system was passed over for the time being, save for its application in the railways.

Lord Mayo was assassinated in the Andaman Islands in 1872, by an inmate of the then penal colony maintained by the British. However, his death did not hinder the enthusiasm for the metre gauge, which swiftly spread across an expanding rail network. In fact, as an unintended ode to him, Mayo’s beloved metre gauge looked poised to eclipse broad gauge in total track mileage.

It was pure economics that had decided the debate in favour of metre gauge: between the 1870s and 1880s, the total cost per new track was around £17,000 per mile for broad gauge versus £10,000 for metre gauge.

But, as the railway network grew, the inconsistency in gauge began to pose a problem. Every time rolling stock – locomotives, carriages and wagons – had to be ordered or manufactured, the gauge became a matter of debate. It was the same every time a new railway line was proposed to be built.

By 1889, this is what the mileage of each gauge looked like – broad gauge 8,000 miles and metre gauge 5,000 miles. In addition, there were around 250 miles of narrow gauge lines. These were smaller, less-important and less-trafficked subsidiary lines leading to the main railway systems. These light-rail systems fed into the main trunk networks (either broad or metre gauge) as demonstrated by the numerous regional, tributary lines of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (now the Western Railway), all built on a narrow gauge of 2’ 6”.

Princely ‘Toys’

At the end of the 19th century, the princely states were a driving force behind railway expansion, with their separate state-financed entities. These often incorporated narrower gauges, as with the Gaekwar’s Baroda State Railway (GBSR), first built as an inter-state artery on a narrow gauge of 2’ 6”, which was later expanded by the farsighted Maharaja Sayyajirao Gaekwad III.

In Gwalior, Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia launched the Gwalior Light Railway in the 1890s, which initially operated as a private system within his palace complex. It was a diminutive 2’ 00” (2-foot) gauge and was classified as a ‘toy gauge’. Other ‘toy’ lines were placed on select gradient routes as the lighter rails were more conductive to the steep curvatures in mountainous regions.

Some ‘toy lines’ have survived to this day and are now mainly tourist attractions, with some even getting UNESCO World Heritage status. For instance, the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the Matheran Light Railway, each bear a 2-foot gauge, along with the Shimla-Kalka Railway and Kangra Valley Railway, each built on 2’ 6” gauge lines. After factoring in these smaller gauges, India had the distinction of claiming four major gauges with a smattering of others thrown in!

The Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway, which operated from 1879 to 1930, boasted one of the largest and most extensive networks of tracks. It comprised 467 miles on the broad gauge and 391 miles on the metre gauge. In stark contrast, in the much smaller princely state of Mohurbanj which required a mere 28-mile system, narrow gauge was practical and sufficient.

But the Raja of Morvi in Gujarat didn’t have much luck. He laid down his state’s railway with a light rail line of 2’ 6” across 70 miles, from Rajkot to Wadhwan, while simultaneously placing a special order for locomotives and rolling stock.

Despite government engineers giving the line the go-ahead, soon after the Morvi line opened for traffic in March 1886, defects began to appear, with rails bent and twisted in places. Often, the line’s curvature had to be re-laid with heavier rail, and there was even a question about whether an entire change of gauge was needed.

Such a proposed conversion was deemed impossible “except at a ruinous sacrifice.” Furthermore, this rail line was deemed “an instructive example of the disastrous results following the adoption of crude suggestions without due consideration and competent professional advice”.

For the more wealthy princely states, it was easy to circumvent disruptions encountered with breaks in gauge. For instance, the Maharajas of Mysore and Kolhapur had special saloons whose bodies could be lifted off the bogie by a crane and then refitted onto either a narrower or a wider bogie. Whereas when the Maharaja of Alwar in Rajasthan placed an order with the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (now the Western Railway) workshop for a private saloon railcar, he simply bought two carriages – one broad gauge and the other metre gauge!

Outside the princely realm, breaks in gauges were a huge problem, and involved considerable rerouting of passenger as well as goods trains. These interruptions resulted in the sluggish movement of essential agricultural goods and mineral supplies, chiefly coal, which was a crucial commodity.

Uniformity, at Last

Both the state lines of the Indus Valley State Railway and the Punjab Northern Railway embraced the metre gauge after 1869. Later, in 1885, with tensions escalating between Russia and Britain, the perceived threat of a Russian incursion on the Afghan border compelled the railways in India to convert select frontier routes into a uniform broad gauge, to allow for swift and seamless movement of troops to border areas. Thus, the government undertook this project “at an enormous cost of unprofitable nature.”

Even so, down the road, the North Western State Railway (which absorbed most of the Punjab Northern Railway and Indus Valley State Railway) still considered a scheme that involved more than one gauge, when in 1902 three separate gauges were proposed for construction within one province, including: an extension of the proposed Amritsar -Tarn Taran Railway on the 5' 6" gauge; Tarn Taran to Put’ti Kasur on the 3' 6” gauge; and an extension of the proposed Jullundur-Hoshiarpore-Kapurthala Railway from Kapurthala to Sultanpur, on the 2’ 6" gauge.

Around the same time, the growing need for uniformity among the various railway lines was acknowledged and the Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA) was set up in 1902, to regulate uniformity among the independently owned railways in the subcontinent. But nothing moved for over three decades, until finally in 1930, the Central Standards Office prepared a proposal to enforce uniform designs, standards and specifications.

In 1947, at the dawn of Indian Independence, the battle of the gauges was a priority concern because all privately owned and operated railway systems were poised to merge into a single, unified system. The battle on the ground was one of broad gauge versus metric gauge. And, in the early 1950s, this is how track mileage stacked up: Broad gauge: 26,000 miles; Metre gauge 18,000 miles; and Narrow/Toy gauge: 4,000 miles.

Finally, in 1971, the Indian Railways launched Project Uni-Gauge. It decreed that all new lines built across the country’s ever-growing network would be constructed exclusively in broad gauge – which was adopted as the standard. It is dubbed ‘Indian Gauge’ and is used exclusively within India and remains the widest -scale railway gauge anywhere in the world. Not only that, all metre-gauge tracks would be converted to broad gauge.

While it seemed as if a unified gauge system would finally take shape, progress was excruciatingly slow and expensive. So, halfway through the 1970s, it was decided that it was more feasible to upgrade and improve various metre gauge lines instead of full-fledged, broad-gauge conversion.

Finally, in the early 1990s, the conversion debate was revisited and the transformation from metre gauge to broad gauge began. It was slow at first but there was a big push from 1992 to 2004. Some metric lines were simply dismantled as were most of the narrow gauges (2’ 6”), except for the handful of heritage lines. It was as recently as last year that a final push was made to switch any remaining metre-gauge tracks to broad gauge. But a fraction of them still await conversion.

Incidentally, the Gwalior Light Railway remained the longest, fully operational 2-foot gauge railway in the world, until its closure in 2020. In Gujarat, various remnants of narrow-gauge lines that once formed part of the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway are currently undergoing standardisation.

It is ironic that while the metric system was officially adopted by India in 1956, the metre gauge itself has been all but phased out. So you could say that although the broad gauge won the battle of the gauges, the metric system finally reigns supreme!

– ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cynthia Meera Frederick writes and lectures on a variety of subjects pertaining to Indian history. At present, she is focused on the country’s storied railways and wishes to acknowledge the contributors to the Indian Railway Fan Club (IRFCA) for their data. As she was raised in America with the imperial system of weights, she still struggles with metric usage.

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Life Aboard the Longest Train Ride Through India

Beneath the relentless churn of steel, wood, and dust, the Indian railway is made entirely of stories.

Beneath the relentless churn of steel, wood, and dust, the Indian railway is made entirely of stories. For more than a century, it has witnessed the infinite expression of the human condition, borne the incalculable weight of separations, and gently rocked the world-weary into oblivion.

“It’s fresh and beautiful and repulsive at the same time,” says National Geographic photographer Matthieu Paley , who spent five days and four nights aboard the Vivek Express documenting its ever-unfolding story. Starting at the southernmost tip of India , the route stretches 2,637 miles northward from Kanniyakumari to Dibrugarh under the heavy gaze of the equatorial sun. It is the longest train ride in the Indian subcontinent.

“People want time,” Paley says. “We live in a world that wants to compress time and make things faster and faster, and I love the train because it’s an environment where you have to slow down.”

The Dibrugarh-Kanniyakumari Vivek Express stops 58 times on its long journey.

The “slow travel” movement can be traced back to the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, an epoch defined by unprecedented acceleration, the omnipresence of technology, and commodification of time. The Romantics warned this modern fixation on speed was a self-made “ iron cage ” that would lead to alienation, loss of meaning, and an unwillingness towards self-reflection. The remedy, they proposed, was deceleration.

“My favorite kind of photography happens when I slow down; but these days it’s not easy,” Paley says. “On trains, I am held hostage, disconnected, suspended in time. It forces me to slow down. This is what I crave: Give me a long, slow ride and I am happy.”

The experience of time, however, hinges entirely upon our continuously evolving perceptions of speed. While rail travel may be slow by contemporary standards, when India’s first train traversed 21 miles from Bombay to Thana in April 1853, it was a triumph of engineering and criticized for the same reasons set forth by the Romantics.

Over the next century and a half, the railway not only drastically altered Indian culture, but restructured time and space itself.

On trains, I am held hostage, disconnected, suspended in time. Matthieu Paley

Considered both a transformative technology and a symbol of British imperial oppression, the railway erased once-formidable distances, generated trade and intellectual exchange, and made travel accessible to the masses. Simultaneously, however, it fostered environments that bred infectious disease, created exploitative labor conditions, and irrevocably altered the natural landscape.

British colonists viewed the train as a harbinger of progress—a tool to abolish the caste system and forge a capitalist society. Instead, it evolved into a space that was invariably Indian: beauty and chaos in tandem.

“The Indian subcontinent can be a disturbing place,” Paley says. “There is a certain lightness of being, but it’s hard to spot at first, hidden under all the noise and ongoing colorful madness. That’s what I love about this part of the world—you can just engage with your surroundings without sounding weird.”

This unflinching engagement is fundamental to slow travel, which places value on quality of interactions with local cultures over the rapid acquisition of passport stamps. This ideal hearkens back to the Romantic belief that preoccupation with the future corrupts the present journey.

Scientists agree that industrialized societies are experiencing a paradoxical “ time famine ”—the persistent feeling that we have too much to do, and not enough time to accomplish it—and that this interferes with our ability to savor immaterial experiences. We’re doing everything faster, but we don’t feel like we have more free time.

• Nat Geo Expeditions

As India hurtles ceaselessly into the future, it’s unclear what the next generation of train travel will look like. With the support of a 12-billion-dollar loan from Japan, the government is currently developing a high speed bullet train that will connect the cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. "This enterprise will launch a revolution in Indian railways and speed up India's journey into the future,” according to Prime Minster Narendra Modi. “It will become an engine of economic transformation.”

In West Bengal, a man bathes in a river near his home. Paley also had time to wash his own shirt before the train departed again.

This is, perhaps, the duality of modernization—it has the potential to drastically improve lives while simultaneously engendering spiritual atrophy.

Henry David Thoreau prescribed “a tonic of wildness” to escape the voracious pace of urbanization. But in a country of 1.3 billion, wildness is a state of mind—a willingness to confront life in all its messy iterations. With more than 22 million daily passengers, 1.3 million employees, and 41,000 miles of tracks, the Indian railway teems with life.

“We are a collective mass moving along in rhythm, shaking, ever-evolving,” Paley says. “If you pay attention, you can engage with the pure joy of traveling. For me, it is the feeling of being united with all our differences.”

If you pay attention, you can engage with the pure joy of traveling. For me, it is the feeling of being united with all our differences. Matthieu Paley

Matthieu Paley's work has been featured in National Geographic magazine and news . See photos from his journey through China by train and follow him on Instagram @paleyphoto .

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This day that year – 16 April 1853 | First passenger train of Indian sub-continent ran from Bori Bunder in Mumbai to Thane

The train was operated by the great indian peninsula railway and was hauled by three steam locomotives (sindh, sultan, and sahib)..

In 1853, it was on this day that the first passenger train of the Indian sub-continent ran from Bori Bunder in Mumbai to Thane. A glorious instant, it changed the history of transportation in the country. During its inaugural run, the train carried 400 guests (approx) and covered a distance of around 34 km. It even received a salute of 21 guns. 

The train was operated by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and was hauled by three steam locomotives (Sindh, Sultan, and Sahib). 

The train had 14 carriages on a 1,676 mm broad gauge track between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane. India ’s first railway bridges, the Thane viaducts, were built over Thane Creek when the Mumbai-Thane line was expanded to Kalyan (in May 1854).

Indian Railways has come a long way since then. 

Here are some fascinating facts related to Indian Railways :

• Indian Railways , by size, manages the fourth-largest national railway system in the world.
• As of 31 March 2022, it has a total route length of 68,043 km. 
• It has a running track length of 102,831 km, and a track length of 128,305 km.
• In the year 2020, Indian Railways carried 808.6 crores (8.086 billion) passengers. 
• In 2022, Indian Railways transported 1418.1 million tonnes of freight in the country. 
• It runs 13,169 passenger trains daily (on both long-distance and suburban routes) covering 7,325 stations across the country. 
• Mail or Express trains (the most common type of trains) operate at an average speed of 50.6 km/h. 
• Suburban EMUs operate at an average speed of 37.5 km/h. 
• Ordinary passenger trains operate at a moderate speed of 33.5 km/h. 
• The top speed of passenger trains varies, with the Vande Bharat Express running at a peak speed of 180 km/h.
• In 2021-2022, it generated Rs 196,128 crore in revenue.
• The number of employees in Indian Railways – 1,252,347 (31 March 2021).

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History of the Indian Railways and the First Train In India

On April 16, 1853, the first passenger train in India ran from Mumbai’s Bori Bunder to Thane, Maharashtra. So, look at this blog to explore the history of Indian railways, including industrial railways, passenger trains, and the story of electrification and modernization. The running of first train in India was a historic day, and 400 lucky passengers got opportunity for this once-in-a-lifetime excursion. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was the first to run a train.

History of the First Train in India

In 1832, the idea of creating a railway system in India was first proposed. Train travel in Britain was still in its infancy at the time, but the East India Company saw the significance of creating a comprehensive rail network. Lord Hardinge, who is a Governor-General of India at that time. He permitted private entrepreneurs to build a rail system. Two companies, i.e., “Great Indian Peninsula Railway” and the “East Indian Railway Company,” were established in 1845.

Alos, read: Top 10 Fastest Trains in India

The first railway in India went from Bori Bunder to Thane, covering approximately 34 kilometers. In 1880, a network of roughly 14,500 kilometers was developed around the three major port towns of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. The Railway Board was established in 1901 under the Department of Commerce and Industry’s direction. Regardless, the Viceroy was given authority.

History of Indian Railways

1832–1852: industrial railways, 1853–1924: passenger railways and expansion, 1925–1946: electrification and further expansion, 1951–1983: zonal re-organization and further developments, railrecipe, an irctc-authorized e-catering service provider.

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On This Day in 1853: Indian Railways' First Passenger Train Ran from Mumbai to Thane

Published By : Nibandh Vinod

Last Updated: April 16, 2023, 10:32 IST

Mumbai, India

First train run on Indian soil on 16th April, 1853 from Bori Bunder to Thane. (Image: Twitter/Ministry of Railways)

Indian Railways started the first passenger train on April 16, 1853, from Bori Bunder to Thane covering a distance of 34 km

INDIAN RAIL TRANSPORT DAY 2023: Indian Railways is not just a rail network but a journey of memories, stories, and unforgettable moments. Being one of the largest rail networks in the world, Indian Railways provides a route for you to travel from north to south, and east to west. Indian Railways is one of the most preferred modes of transport for the people of India as it offers services for every economic stratum.

#ThisDayThatYear On April 16th, 1853, IR commenced its illustrious journey with the first passenger train running from what was then known as Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane, signifying the beginning of a new era in transportation & connectivity for India. #DownTheMemoryLane pic.twitter.com/RzqSwzQB4C — Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 16, 2023

Indian Railways started the first passenger train on April 16, 1853, from Bori Bunder to Thane covering a distance of 34 km. Since then, the day has been marked as the Indian Rail Transport Day.

1st train was run on Indian soil on 16th April, 1853 from Bori Bunder to Thane.Since than Indian Railways has become integral part of Life of common man and engine for growth of socio economic development of the country. #OnThisDay #glorious #History pic.twitter.com/raeZhrGuey — Western Railway (@WesternRly) April 16, 2023

To mark the completion of 170 years of the rail network, let’s take a look at some of the interesting facts about Indian railways which you might not know.

• The foundation of the railroads was placed by Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy and Jagnath Shunkerseth more than 160 years ago.
• Indian Rail network is the world’s third-largest rail network spreading at a total length of 1,27,760 km.
• The fastest train in India, Vande Bharat Express runs at a speed of 180 kmph whereas the slowest train, Mettupalayam –- Ooty Nilgiri passenger train has a speed of only 10 kmph.
• Vivek Express is India’s longest route train with a running time of 80 hours and 15 minutes. It covers a distance of 4233 kilometres passing through eight states.
• The New Delhi Railway Station holds the Guinness World Records for being the world’s largest Route Relay Interlocking System.
• India’s highest rail bridge, Chenab Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that connects Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. When completed, the bridge will be 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.
• Every Railway station has a unique name with the shortest name with only two syllables “Ib” in Odisha and the station with the longest name is Sri Venkatanarasimharajuvariipeta.
• There is a diamond crossing in Nagpur which is one of its kind as from here trains can go in all four directions, North, East, West, and South.

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History of Indian Railways – 1853 to 2018

• 22 May 2023
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Indian Railways is the fourth largest railway system in the world. The system was established in the 19th century and serves thousands of tourists and locals every day. India's first passenger train traveled from Mumbai to Tana, carrying a total of 400 passengers and 1.6 kilometers. From there, Indian Railways has developed into a superpower industry.

Today India is synonymous with transportation, but budget-friendly and the common man is "Indian Railways", where on the one hand we have ordinary railways. Every day, the railway sector in India is making new progress and has many high-speed and luxury trains in India. Now we have moved from simple trains to bullet trains.

History Of Railways

Let us dive into the history of Indian rails starting from the mid of 19th century, the colonial time of India under British to today’s Nano technology era of 21th century.

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1853 – 1869

Although the concept of railway system entered India in 1850 , trains came to India in 1853 only. There were many political barricades to cross in acquiring land, resource, labor and others. The first train had only 14 cars. Controlled by East India Company, the system gradually grew and made additional lines like Calcutta – Delhi , Allahabad – Jabalpur and others. By the end of this era, Indian Railways covered 4000 miles in area.

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By 1860, eight railway companies were launched in the country including Eastern India Railway, Madras Railway, Great India Peninsula Company and others. Most of these companies were approved and commissioned by the then kings of India.

Must Read:  New Rules Set by Indian Railways for Hassle-free Traveling!

1870 – 1900

This reign liquidated many companies and external contractors were hired for controlling the railway. The length of the railway system reached 9000 miles in this region, mainly around Bombay , Calcutta and Madras. By the end of 1890, the trains started to gain many amenities like toilet, electric lights and others. The mountain trains, now called as the toy trains were first proposed in 1854.

However, the first mountain train started its maiden trip on 1881. The first mountain train of the country is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. Later, many other mountain train routes were linked connecting highland towns with the rest of the country.  ( Source)

First toilets were introduced in the first class coaches in 1891. Only by 1907, the lower classes were provided toilets.

1901 – 1925

By the beginning of this century, Indian Railways started to make profit. Under the rule of Lord Curzon, the railway department started to flourish. East Indian Railways and GIPR were nationalized by the end of this reign.

During the First World War, the service of Indian railways degraded monumentally. The fund and other resources of the railway department were routed to the war needs by the British government in India.

Also Read :  Why British Introduced Railways in India?

This era saw the first electrical train. The size of the system grew and started serving an average of 620 million passengers, each year. During the final years of British rule, the railway department was financially crashing as, people preferred wagons instead of rails.

Also Read :  10 Most Busiest Railway Stations in India

After Independence and separation of states, numerous rail routes were built to connect different regions. The first train between India and Pakistan started in 1951. All the trains were electrified and modernized. This was the bloom period for Indian Railways .

In 1982, the first enquiry counter was set up in Mumbai suburban station to indicate the upcoming trains. It was a crude manual system in which the staffs turned the clock hands to denote the next train timing, every 2-3 minutes.

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Technology started to gain more momentum and metro system started in India. The major revolution of Indian Railway , luxury train started in India. The run of luxury train started with Palace on Wheels in 1982 by Government of Rajasthan and Tourism department of India .

Must Read:  The Origin Of Luxury Trains – How They Started A Revolution

Below, you will find a detailed history of luxury train in India . By 1995, the countrywide network provided reservation and ticketing system to Indian railways.

2000-present day

Metros and monorails are thriving within cities. Online ticketing system started in 2000's and is one of the major ways of booking train ticket , today. 4.5 billion km was additionally covered in just ten years (2001-2010). Now, the train tracks cover more than 120,000 km of area in India and special amenities like Wi-Fi, customer information system, ergogenic designs and green technologies have taken Indian Railways to the next level.

Also Read : How To Make Reservation In Indian Railway?

Recent developments of railway system include technological amenities in unreserved class , high horsepower electric locomotive, GPS based passenger information system, sliding doors, private catering services and many others. ( Source)

There is always a next step for Indian Railway. By 2019, more than 7000 stations around the world would receive free Wi-Fi service. The technology team is diving deep into finding greener source of powers. 

2018 - Forth Largest Rail Network in the World

Today, the Indian Railways manages the track more than 120,000 km of the country. The changing face of Indian Railways is preparing for the future with the much more initiative. The current Rail Minister "Piyush Goyal" of Indian Railways said in May the free WiFi services would be provided at more than 7,000 stations in 2019.

Also Read:  World-Class! Indian Railways to Transform Stations into Airport-like Transit Hubs

Indian Railway Zones

Interesting statistics about indian railways.

• Today, more than 14,300 trains run every day. Prior to Independence, there were a mere 42 trains in the country . The total distance covered by all the trains is 3 ½ times the distance between Earth and Moon.
• Indian Railways carry more than 23 million people every day and the system employs more than a million people.
• The longest railway platform of the world is located in Gorakhpur of India (4,483 ft length).
• The longest distance covered by an Indian train is 3,715 km by Vivek Express. It takes 71 hours to complete one journey. The shortest route is covered between Nagpur and Ajni, which is just three km.
• The oldest train of the world , still working is located in India. Fairy Queen of 1855 is still on tracks.

About the Journey of Indian Railways

India's first railway line was laid between Roorkee to Piran Collier during the British period. The first steam engine was used on this railway line. The British had their meaning behind this, but they laid the railway line.

There was a severe drought in the northwestern province of British India between 1837–1838. Currently, this location is known by Uttar Pradesh. Due to the drought, the East India Company had to spend around one crore rupees in relief operations in the North West Province at that time. As a result, the then British government began preparations to build a canal from the Ganges in drought-prone areas.

Indian Railways Construction

The responsibility of constructing this canal was entrusted to Colonel Cottle. The British started preparing, but the path was not easy. Removing the canal over the Sonaliriver en route was a matter of greatest dilemma for the British engineers.

In such a situation, Kottle planned to drain the canal from over the river by constructing the Sonali aqueduct.

British engineers started the construction of the bridge and during the excavation huge amount of debris came out from here. The British planned to dump this debris in Kaliyar, but it was not easy to carry so much debris at that time. The problem was that with horses and mules, it would cost too much time with heavy costs.

In such a situation, Kotel decided to build a railway for this purpose. To this end, he ordered equipment from London.

Experts from London built engines and four wagons in Roorkee itself. British engineers laid the railway line here and on 22 December 1851, the debris with the help of a steam engine on this line was transported to Kaliyar for the first time.

Indian Railway Developments

Indian Railways has introduced various schemes to further improve its services. These plans have been widely inspired. Railways have been upgraded from meter gauge train to broad gauge. Research Design and Standards Organization in Lucknow, which was the largest railway research organization in the world in 1957. It is regularly improving technology as well as signaling coach interiors, systems, layout, track design, etc. For better ride comfort and efficiency.

Indian Railway Services

Day by day many routes are adding in the Indian Railway network and its services. At present time India Railway has a route of more than 66,687 km.

This is about 119,630 km of total track and about 92,081 km of running track. In 2015–2016, it was estimated that around 13,313 passenger trains are operated daily by the Indian Railways. Indian Railways has developed several types of trains for passengers. They are heritage train or toy train on narrow gauge hill section, luxury train, express train or long-distance train, metro railway or underground rail system like Kolkata Metro and Delhi Metro, etc.

Indian Railway Opportunity

At present, there are 17 Indian railway zones and a total of 69 divisions are divided under them. Indian railway stations are being given the size of larger campuses and apart from having common facilities like retiring rooms and restaurants, they are now included in large office areas. Bridges on platforms are now being replaced by underground passageways, which provide more space. Indian Railways is improving and enhancing the adoption of world-class standards to provide all possible facilities to the passengers.

The fastest train in India at present is Vande Bharat Express.

Budget-Friendly Ride, Train and its Ticket

Indian Railways is possibly the cheapest railway in the world. The fare is charged by the railways at the rate of 10 paise per km, while the fare in buses is around 10 times more i.e. Rs 1 per km. This is the reason that trains are very crowded due to being in budget. People are packed in compartments. There is no vacant space in any category during the festival of war and marriage and summer vacation. Waiting becomes very long

Three types of Trains and their Facilities

Generally, 3 types of trains are run for public convenience. These are - Passenger, Express and Mail (Express).

From these trains, the passenger train fare is the lowest. Express costs more than that and Mail (Express) charges the highest.

General bogie (second class) fare is the lowest, while in sleeper it is more and AC fare is the highest.

General bogey has simple facilities. The sleeper has some good and sleeping facilities from the general, while the AC coach provides 'A' class facilities including air conditioning.

History of Luxury Trains in India

Trains were introduced to India by British. Back then, every train had a luxury saloon for the royals of the land and British rulers. The trains never belonged to any of the kings of India. However, the royal saloons were dedicated to the blue bloods of the land. The locals were never allowed to board in this luxury saloon. The most prestigious luxury train of the country during British Rule is the Indian Imperial Mail. It ran between Calcutta and Bombay.

In 1933, this luxury train was put on track for a four-week itinerary covering Calcutta (former Kolkata), Darjeeling, Benaras (former Varanasi), Lucknow, Cawnpore (now Kanpur), Agra , Delhi , Lahore (now in Pakistan), Amritsar, Peshawar (now in Pakistan), Jaipur , Udaipur and Bombay (now Mumbai). Later, 7 days long itinerary and ten days long itineraries were also provided. Many regular trains also started to have a few tourist saloons in them, later.

After Independence, these luxury saloons were left to rust as the kingdom rule fell in the country. During 1980's , the government of Rajasthan took an initiative to re-use these luxury saloons to create the first tourism luxury train Palace on Wheels to promote tourism in Rajasthan. Today, the Palace on Wheels provide a much clarified and tuned itinerary in just eight days and seven nights .

Check out the link to book Palace On Wheels Tickets

Frequently Asking Questions

Q. Who founded the Indian Railways?

A.  Indian Railways was found by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy. The association was built with the partnership of Hon. JagannathShunkerseth in 1845.

Q. When was the railway introduced in India?

A.  In 16 April 1853, the first Indian passenger train was run from BoriBunder to Thane with 400 people. The train was carrying 14 carriage.

Q. Why was British railway introduced in India?

A.  British believed that Railway will help in the economic development of India. According to them, it provided them the market for British goods and it also became a source of raw materials.

Q. Who laid the first railway line in India?

A.  The first Railway line was laid between Bombay to Thane on 16 th April 1853, is said to be laid by Lord Dalhousie.

Q. Who is the founder of the train?

A.  The train was invented by Richard Trevithick in 1804, he was a British engineer. He was born in Cornwall. Later George Stephenson gave train infrastructure and called as the father of train.

Q. What year did Indian Railways start?

A.  16 April 1853. From Mumbai (BoriBunder) to Thane. Till now Indian Railways has celebrated 165 year of success.

Q. Who is known as the father of Indian Railways?

A.  Lord Dalhousie, former Governor-General of India is known as the father of Indian Railways.

Q. Which was the first railway in India?

A.  The name of the first Railway in India is Sahib. It ran between Mumbai to Thane carrying 14 carriage and 400 passengers. It had 3 locomotive steam: Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.

Q. When was the first train ran in India?

A.  Roorkee to PiranKaliyar on December 22, 1851, was the first ever train ran in India. This train was the goods train only. It was used to supply clay from Priam Kaliyar to Roorkee, which is at 10 km distance from each other.

Q. When did the first electric train run in India?

A.  February 3, 1925, between Bombay to Kurla in distance of 16kms.

Q. When were different Zones created in Indian Railways?

A.  In 1951 when legislation was passed for the Central Government allowing them to take over an independent railway system.

Further Read:

• Indian Railways to Introduce Shri Ramayana Express
• Indian Railways is Getting World-Class with Train 18
• Indian Railways to Launch Fastest Trains in India – Train 18 & Train 20
• Tejas Express Offers Luxury Train Travel from Chennai And Madurai
• Ramayana Express Trains for Madurai, Rajkot and Jaipur

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Follow & Connect

Rail travel in India

• 2.1 Regular trains
• 2.2 Mountain trains
• 2.3 Luxury trains
• 3 Scenic routes
• 4.1 Long-distance
• 4.2 Short-distance
• 4.3 Vistadome
• 4.4 Other classes
• 7 Schedules
• 8.1 E-ticketing
• 8.2 Counter booking
• 8.3 Booking tips
• 8.4 Non-confirmed accommodation
• 8.5 Tatkal quota
• 8.6 Foreign tourist quota
• 9.1 Suburban railway
• 9.2 Metros and monorails
• 9.3 Rapid rail
• 10 Eat and drink
• 11.1 In the train
• 11.2 In stations
• 12 Stay safe

The rail network of India is the third largest in the world, and the rail system is efficient, if not always on schedule. Tracks running well over 60,000 km help connect over 7,500 stations, ferrying nearly 20 million people every day. Although distances in India are long and Indian trains aren't the world's best, travelling on them can add a fascinating new dimension to a visitor's experience. There is virtually no better way to make friends with the local people and see the spectacular and diverse Indian countryside. On many routes the railways are the fastest and cheapest way to get around.

All trains in the national system in India are operated by the government-run Indian Railways (IR).

History [ edit ]

India's first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between Bori Bunder (in Mumbai , present-day Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Thane . On 15 August 1854, Eastern India's first passenger train ran from Howrah (near Kolkata ) to Hooghly . Back then, most railways in India were built by different private companies, and all of them were taken over by the government in 1944.

There used to be several different track gauges across the country. However, since 1992, most tracks are converted to broad gauge (1,676 mm or 5 ft 6.0 in). However, you can still enjoy narrow-gauge "toy trains" in mountainous areas (see #Mountain trains below).

Trains [ edit ]

There are a variety of trains in India, depending on the route you travel and whether you travel during the day or overnight. The more expensive and luxurious trains are as a rule air-conditioned, stop only at major stations, only have reserved seats or beds and in general offer passengers more space. In contrast, the cheaper services are slower, often have no air-conditioning and include non-reserved compartments. With a wide range of trains and accommodation types, you have the choice of travelling in a first-class compartment comparable to first class in a western country, in a more down-to-earth (and likely more adventurous) way or something in between. If you are looking for a really luxurious experience, there are several luxury trains touring popular destinations around India.

IR has some newer coaches (usually updated chair cars) and faster services (listed below) that make riding the rails more appealing compared to flying. These trains tend to be more comfortable and faster than other trains, however, they aren't as common as other services.

Regular trains [ edit ]

All regular trains in India are either superfast express, express/mail, fast passenger, passenger or local/EMU trains. Don't get too excited by the term superfast ; it merely means that the train has an average speed of at least 55 km/h, and therefore the "superfast surcharge" is added to the ticket price. The broad hierarchy from luxurious to normal is as follows:

• Rajdhani Express — translated as "capital express", these are fully air-conditioned overnight trains, with only AC sleeper accommodation, that run between the national capital ( New Delhi ) and regional state capitals. They are Indian Railways' most luxurious trains. All meals are provided. With a top speed of 130 km/h, Rajdhani Express are the fastest long distance trains of India and almost always on schedule. They get priority over other trains on their respective routes.
• Vande Bharat Express — These are fully air-conditioned semi-high-speed, intercity, EMU trains, operated by the Indian Railways on 41 routes as of 2024. These are among the fastest and most luxurious trains of Indian Railways, and have seats only (no sleeper coaches). For example, with a journey time of 8 hours, the New Delhi–Varanasi Vande Bharat Express is the fastest train to connect these two important cities; all other trains take at least 12 hours on this route.
• Tejas Express — The Tejas Express is a semi-high speed fully air-conditioned train which runs 4 routes as of 2024. It features modern onboard facilities with doors which are operated automatically. Tejas Express are seat-only trains which run during the day.
• Shatabdi Express — Fast, daytime intercity trains that connect important cities in a region, for example two adjacent states' capitals, and returning to their origin station the same day. These are fully air-conditioned trains offering sitting accommodation (no sleepers). They are among the fastest trains in India, and run on 21 routes as of 2024.
• AC First Class (1A) with 2-berth and 4-berth lockable coupes
• AC 2-tier (2A) with open bays (4 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay)
• AC 3-tier (3A) with open bays (6 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay)
• Sleeper Class (SL) with open bays (6 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay)
• Garib Rath Express — Translating to "chariot of the poor", these are fully air-conditioned superfast overnight trains, having both sitting and sleeper accommodations, that offer more seats per coach at a lower fare. These are not as punctual as other trains mentioned above and not as luxurious. The priority it gets in Indian Railways is also lower than the trains mentioned above.

Note: Above are fully reserved trains . They do not have unreserved/general compartments (see below).

• Jan Shatabdi Express — Translating to "people's Shatabdi Express", these are superfast daytime intercity trains offering both air-conditioned, non-air-conditioned and unreserved sitting accommodation. Jan Shatabdi Express are usually very punctual, and are intended to be an economical version of the Shatabdi Express. While their route priority is below all the trains mentioned above, they still have higher priority than all the trains lower on this list. There are 27 active services as of 2024.
• Express and Mail — These trains have both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned carriages, including both sitting and sleeper accommodation, and stops at major railway stations.
• Fast Passenger — These trains have only non-air-conditioned carriages,including both unreserved sitting (mostly) and sleeper (sometimes) accommodation. They stop at almost all stations on their route.
• Passenger — These trains have only non-air-conditioned carriages offering only unreserved sitting accommodation.
• Local or EMU — These trains offer both sitting accommodation as well as standing room and grab rails and operate within and around big cities. Local trains are often part of a suburban railway network.

The IR uses two types of coaches. ICF coaches were the mainstay of IR passenger services. As they were developed in the 1950s, they were rather antiqued and have interior facilities worn-out. LHB coaches, which were developed in the 2000s, are largely air-conditioned (except Deen Dayalu coaches) and have better interior facilities. LHB coaches are often identified with its red and grey or blue and grey colours. In general, LHB coaches are more comfortable than ICF coaches. As of 2023, Rajdhani Express, Tejas Express and Shatabdi Express trains use LHB coaches, Duronto Express and Jan Shatabdi Express trains vary, Vande Bharat Express trains have their own coaches and the rest are most likely using ICF coaches.

Mountain trains [ edit ]

• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) — Winding its way over the steep and torturous foothills of the Himalayas, the "toy train" takes six hours to cover the 83 km (52 mi) distance from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Station in Siliguri to Darjeeling . Completed in 1883, the railway follows the road (and mostly shares the same bed) and uses an interesting system of reverses (the trains climbs into a sliding and then goes into reverse to climb up the next section of the hill, sort of like a sideways V) and loops (the track loops around and crosses itself) to navigate the steep climb. Batasia Loop , at a tor point near Darjeeling just beyond the town of Ghum, is the most famous because of its great views.
• Kalka–Shimla Railway — The railway from Kalka to Shimla was completed in 1903, the final stage in the connection of Calcutta (Kolkata), then the winter capital of British India, with Simla, then the summer capital. The 96 km (60 mi) railway line runs through the magnificent scenery of the Shivalik Hills, up valleys ringed by high mountains, across 864 stone bridges built like Roman viaducts, and through 107 tunnels, the longest 1,144 m (3,753 ft) in length.
• Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) — The steepest mountain railway in India, the NMR climbs the 6,159 ft (1,877 m) from Mettupalayam to Udhagmandalam (Ooty) over a distance of 46 km (29 mi), with gradients of 1:12 in some stretches. Completed in 1899, it is the only railway in India to use a rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. The train passes through 16 tunnels, over 250 bridges and around 205 sharp curves, with the breathtaking scenery of the Nilgiri Hills visible all along the way.
• Kangra Valley Railway (KVR) — This narrow-gauge, British-built train, also called Kangra Toy Train , from 1929 crawls 128 km from Pathankot main station through stunning scenery to Jogindernagar (6 hr) via Palampur and Kangra (93 km, 4 hr, ₹20) (near Dharamsala ). About six daily departures of slow, often packed second class trains make the trip. (The luxury Kangra Queen service is no more.) Some head only to the penultimate stop of Baijnath Paprola, though all serve the main towns of interest: Kangra and Palampur.

Luxury trains [ edit ]

One of the luxurious ways to explore the most prominent tourist destinations and attractions in India is to opt for luxury train travel . The history of luxury train travel in India dates back to the days of the maharajas who used to travel in opulent personal carriages. In 1982, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation launched the Palace on Wheels in collaboration with Indian Railways to revive the art of elegant traveling in India. The Palace on Wheels was launched to promote tourism in Rajasthan and cater exclusively to the overseas traveler and offer them a hassle free, all-inclusive and opulent option of traveling to the royal destinations in Rajasthan. Nowadays there are a total of 6 luxury trains plying different routes and offering a total of 11 pre-packaged itineraries.

• The Palace on Wheels — Although the history of luxury train travelling in India dates back to the time of maharajas during the days of British Raj, the modern history of this mode of transport dates back to 1982 with the introduction of India’s first luxury train. It was introduced as a joint venture of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways to promote Rajasthan as a global tourist destination. The venture turned out to be a great success among overseas travellers and a few decades later more such train journeys followed. The Palace on Wheels does an eight-day loop from New Delhi with stops and tours in Jaipur , Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur , Jaisalmer , Jodhpur , Bharatpur , and Agra . The train is equipped with Wi-Fi, TV, dining cars, bar & sitting lounge, guest cabins with attached bathroom and even a spa. The all-inclusive prices of the Palace on Wheels start from US$340 per person per night on triple occupancy basis in the off-peak season and US$450 for the same in peak season (October–March).

• Maharajas' Express — Latest luxury train in India, Maharajas' Express is touted as the India’s answer to the Orient Express. This luxury tourist train offers 5 itineraries 3 of which are pan-Indian tours and 2 are golden triangle tours. The Maharajas’ Express journeys are named the Heritage of India, the Indian Splendor, the Indian Panorama, Gems of India and Treasures of India. Maharajas Express also happens to be one of the costliest luxury tourist train rides in the world with fare starting from US$3580 per person per journey and reaching as high as US $22000 per person per journey for Presidential Suite.

Scenic routes [ edit ]

Other than narrow-gauge and luxury trains, many regular trains run across the spectacular countryside of India. Here are some of the most scenic routes that are operated as part of the regular train network:

• Kashmir Railway (Jammu–Baramulla) — Completed in 2023, the railway line starts from the flatlands of Jammu and ends at the hilly town of Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir . It runs across the Pir Panjal hills and crosses the Chenab River with the Chenab Bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world. The route crosses inhospitable terrain, traverse major earthquake zones and be subject to extreme temperatures of cold and heat.
• Konkan Railway (Mumbai–Mangalore) — Completed in 1998, the railway line starts from the bustling cityscape of Mumbai and ends at the coastal city of Mangalore . It runs across the mesmerising Western Ghats from Mumbai to Madgaon , then runs across the western coast up to Mangalore.

Classes [ edit ]

India has seven classes of train travel to choose from. Not all classes are available on all trains: for example, Chair Cars are usually found only on short-distance daytime trains and higher-speed trains, while the sleeper classes are only found on overnight services.

Long-distance [ edit ]

• AC First class (1A) , the most comfortable class to travel in, includes lockable four-berth and two-berth (coupe) compartments. The carriages are clean (and carpeted) and the toilets the cleanest of any on Indian trains. Sheets, pillows and blankets are provided and an attendant makes the beds at night. AC First Class carriages are usually found only on important overnight trains and are the most expensive class.
• AC 2 Tier (2A) Passengers sleep on four berths in an open cabin or on two berths that are positioned lengthwise along the side of the carriage. Each cabin has a curtain for privacy and each side berth has its own curtain for privacy. There are four toilets, two at each end of the carriage, and usually include a mix of western and eastern style toilets, spottily provided with toilet paper. An attendant brings around blankets, sheets and pillows.
• AC 3 Tier (3A) is similar to 2 Tier, the significant differences being the additional middle-bunk in the cabins (but not on the sides). Curtains may be present in each cabin for privacy and each side berth has its own curtain for privacy similar to AC 2 Tier coach. This can make it uncomfortable to sit up straight during the morning if the person in the middle-bunk is a heavy sleeper. An attendant brings around sheets, blankets, and pillows in the evening. Because there are more people around, AC 3 Tier tends to be noisier than AC 2 Tier.
• AC 3 Tier Economy (3E) is generally found in Garib Raths and a few Durontos - it is similar to AC 3 Tier but with the presence of a middle berth on the side too making it 9 berths in a bay. Denoted by "G". 3E is cheaper compared to 3A.
• Sleeper (SL) is the way most Indians travel and is an inexpensive way to get around the country. Berths are arranged in the same pattern as AC 3 Tier, six berths in a cabin and two along the side of the carriage, but there is no air-conditioning. The downside is that it can be hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable inside. The toilets are sometimes dirty and you may find yourself sharing your cabin with passengers without a reservation. For the adventurous, this is the way to see India. Chai-wallahs and hawkers selling local food and other items roam the carriages and you'll find yourself sharing food and life-stories with the lower-middle-class families travelling with you.

For typical layouts of the different classes, you can refer to these unofficial diagrams .

Short-distance [ edit ]

With the new coaches and services that were made and established in the last few years, the quality of these "daytime" coaches can vary immensely, even in the same class.

• Anubhuthi (EA) is available on a few Shatabdis. It is essentially a modernized version of EC ( see below ), with new coaches that have updated seats with a screen for each passenger. It is similar to Tejas Express chair cars.
• Executive Chair Car (EC) is only available on Vande Bharats and some Shatabdis and Durontos. It is extremely comfortable, and is the most comfortable way to travel during the daytime.
• AC Chair Car (CC) , found on most daytime intercity trains, is also quite comfortable, but the seats are not as wide as EC. It is advisable to travel on this class wherever possible, as 2S ( see below ) can get quite crowded, particularly on busy routes.
• Second seater (2S) , available on most daytime intercity trains, is reserved seating in carriages without air-conditioning. Seats are comfortably padded, but the heat and dust outside can make it an uncomfortable ride in summer. Also, it is usually used by the passengers with a "general" ticket and use the seats by paying the fine (usually ₹20) to the TTE. There is a very good chance that you may end up in a seat with four people which is actually meant for 3. Also, if you find that there are too many empty seats while booking online, don't expect the compartment to be empty.

Vistadome [ edit ]

Some tourist routes have glass roof coaches, called Vistadome coaches. These coaches provide panoramic views of certain tourist attractions. The fares are usually equivalent to EC. There are three types of Vistadome coaches, Vistadome Chair Car ( VC ), Vistadome Non AC ( VS ) and Vistadome AC ( EV ).

Other classes [ edit ]

• Unreserved ( UR ) or General ( GEN ) — these have padded seats but the carriages are often packed with people sitting on the aisles and luggage racks. Not an advisable way to travel, even for short distances, except for the exceptionally tough and the curious that are in it for the experience alone.
• Ladies — if you are a solo female and taking the train, look for the compartment labelled "Ladies" or "Men Not Allowed" to enjoy a more comfortable and hopefully less crowded ride.
• For Disabled or Divyangjan — these are available at both ends of a train and they are reserved for passengers with disabilities.

Stations [ edit ]

There are different types of railway stations in India, from a large station where you can find trains from all major cities, to a single platform by a rail track where even local trains don't stop at all. Most major stations are in the centres of respective cities or villages, although some newer stations are built at the fringes of cities.

All railway stations in India are labelled in English and Hindi , the two official languages of the country. Most stations are also labelled in other languages, which are usually the local languages used around the area. For example, the stations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are labelled in English, Hindi and Urdu , while the stations in Tamil Nadu are labelled in English, Hindi and Tamil .

The announcements of trains are performed in the languages used in the stations, and depending on the station, the English announcements are performed initially or finally.

Fares [ edit ]

Log in to IRCTC for details of trains and fares. Alternatively (and especially if you do not have an account yet), you can find trains, fare details and ticket availability on the Indian Railways section on Fare Enquiry .

Despite the numerous types of trains and classes, the fare system is quite logical.

• Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Jan Shatabdi and Garib Rath Express trains have fixed point-to-point fares. The fare one-way may be slightly more or less than the reverse-fare, due to different catering charges.

There are basically five types of trains on the basis of fare:

• Passenger — slow trains that stop in all stations including very small stations.
• Fast Passenger — passenger trains that skip smaller stations and offer the same fare structure.
• Express and Mail — they stop only at major railway stations and charge higher than Passenger trains.
• Superfast Express — they skip some of the major stations and charge even higher than Express and Mail trains.
• Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat Express — they are elite trains that offer only air-conditioned coaches. They stop only at selected stations. The fare is quite high because all food is included.

Schedules [ edit ]

Before booking a ticket, do visit the Indian Railways website on Fare Enquiry for information including finding a train, fare and ticket availability.

You can also get the whole schedule online of a train here . A list of trains operating between two stations can be found here after clicking the Trains B/w Stations option at the top right.

Alternatively, you can get a copy of Trains At A Glance , the national rail timetable, from any railway station. This is updated every July and remains valid until the end of the next June. It allows you to choose the best train for your needs, and find the name and number of the train for your destination. However, this is a general guide and does not contain a detailed list of all stations, neither does it contain every train on a route. A more specific guide depending on the "rail zone" is available at important stations on that zone. For example, a detailed guide on trains plying in Western India (i.e. the Western Zonal Timetable) will be available at all major railway stations in Western India.

This private webpages like India Rail Info , Confirmtkt Trainman etc. also lets you search for trains, fares and ticket availability and route maps (no account necessary). Only use this site for your information, but always book online tickets, etc. via the official webpage (IRCTC) as stated under Ticketing .

Ticketing [ edit ]

Tickets can be purchased online or from counters at railway stations. If bought online, the ticket can be printed instantly or mailed to you. Availability of tickets depend on when you travel, how early you book and which class you want to travel in. On busy routes and dates you may end up on a waiting list and will get on the train only if there are cancellations, or you may have to travel in a rather uncomfortable general compartment.

It is necessary to reserve tickets in advance in order to travel by any of the classes listed above (except UR/GEN ). Tickets can be booked in two ways, e-ticketing and counter booking.

E-ticketing [ edit ]

An e-ticket (short for electronic ticket ) is a ticket that is booked online and printed instantly. Valid proof of identity (voter ID card/PAN card/Aadhaar card/passport/driving license) of any of the passengers should be produced along with the ticket on the day of the journey. The procedure for booking an e-ticket is as follows:

• Log in to the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) website. Additionally, there is an official app called IRCTC Rail Connect available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple app Store .
• Log in with your username and password. If it's the first time you're using the site, you need to sign up first, by providing your name, email id, residential address, mobile and occupation (note: they also take mobile numbers from outside India, but the mandatory verification, via a one-time password (OTP), of international numbers does not work reliably).
• In the left section "Plan my Journey", type the station names of the originating and destination stations and select the station codes from the autocomplete list that will appear. Select the date of the journey and press the submit button.
• The page will reload and show you the results. If no results are returned, try different station names (for example, from Agra City to Agra Cantt).
• Results will list available trains ordered by departure time. Ih the last part of each result, there are the classes (for example 1A, 2A, 3A, SL). Click the wished class and, on top, additional information will appear.
• The site will display information for that train, class and day, and will show other times available for that particular day and class for upcoming days. Search for AVAILABLE-XXXX. That means you can book it right now. Other words like WL-XX mean that you can join a waiting list. Click the 'Book now' link. (X refers to the number of seats)
• A Ticket Reservation form will open on the page. Fill in the details and preferences of all the passengers (a maximum of six in a single booking), check the appropriate address box and click on the Next button.
• A copy of your ticket with the details will appear on the screen. Click on the Make Payment button.
• A list of payment options will appear, including Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Choose your preferred payment option. If you are using a foreign credit or debit card, select the option "Payment Gateway / Credit Card" and then "International credit cards - Powered by Atom". Click the Make Payment option.
• The copy of your ticket with the details will reappear on the screen. You can carry the printed copy/SMS sent on your electronic copy on your tablet, mobile phone, laptop etc. as well as a valid proof of identity with you on the day of your journey.
• E-ticket is considered to be the fast, secure and best way to book tickets (especially Tatkal tickets).

Tickets for unreserved trains can be purchased from the Unreserved ticketing system or UTS app available in both Google Play Store and Apple app store .

Counter booking [ edit ]

Tickets are also sold at most railway stations and at Indian Railways' 1000-plus computerised passenger reservation centres located across the country. For reservation at a counter, you need to fill in a paper form and submit it to the clerk at the counter (occasionally, after a long wait in a queue) along with the payment in either cash or by credit card. Credit cards are accepted at most important stations. Counters in the metros and other important cities accept Visa, MasterCard, AmericanExpress and Diners Card, as well as cards of most Indian banks. There are generally 1 to 3 counters where credit card payment is allowed, depending on the station.

Booking tips [ edit ]

• Avoid travel agents, touts, or anyone else who offers to book your tickets for a fee. It is usually much easier and cheaper to do it yourself.
• If you are booking from abroad, the easiest is to use the online service and print e-tickets at home. E-tickets can also be sent by local courier to addresses in India (not abroad) and most hotels willingly accept delivery if notified in advance.
• Train tickets are in high demand, especially during the summer (April–June) and winter (December–January) breaks. This means that without careful planning, it may be next to impossible to get tickets for long distance travel (for example from New Delhi to Mumbai). You can book up to 120 days in advance, but during the busy season, the tickets may get sold out quickly. So, plan your journey well in advance.
• Foreign nationals can get tickets from a quota reserved for them. In big cities, you have a specific counter or even a special office for them.
• If you plan to travel in 1A or EC , tickets should be easier to get - they are generally in less demand. However, in view of the increasing tourist population, even those seats are hard to get unless booked at least 5 days in advance.
• If the Indian Railways website seems too daunting, consider using Cleartrip or MakeMyTrip: Both offer comfortable booking for a small fee and will keep you updated on your waitlist status. However, these pages require IRCTC accounts.
• 12Go Asia offers a ticketing service for Indian trains that comes without the need of creating an IRCTC account. However, the service does not cover all the routes in India.

Non-confirmed accommodation [ edit ]

If you do not get a Confirmed (CNF) ticket, you may get one that is Waitlisted (WL) or in the Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) status. If you've booked your ticket in advance, it will probably move from WL to RAC status or even to CNF status as time goes by (because of cancellations), so it is a good idea to check it periodically and keep your plans dynamic. Use the 10-digit Passenger Name Record (PNR) number, printed on the top right-hand corner of your ticket, to check the status of your ticket at any point of time। PNR is a record in the database of Indian Railways computer reservation system (IR-CRS) which saves the journey details for a passenger or the group of passengers. The number will read like WL32/WL14 or similar, with the structure being WL (original position)/WL (current position). There are many different ways to check your PNR status among which popular ones are listed below:

• Through websites. Indian Railways is the official portal to check the PNR status online.
• Dialling 139 .
• Through mobile application.
• Reservation status checks using SMS service.
• Railway enquiry or sahyog counters in your nearest railway stations.
• After final chart preparation.

You cannot get on to a reserved compartment if your ticket is waitlisted (you can only enter a General Compartment if available). Waitlisted caught entering the train are treated as non-ticket holders and fined. But if you have an RAC ticket, you are allotted 'sitting' berths i.e. in a Sleeper Coach, you and a fellow RAC ticket-holder share a berth so that both of you can travel sitting instead of sleeping. The Ticket Examiner then allots you a CNF sleeping berth as and when one is available due to last minute cancellations, no-shows etc. Depending on the train, the route and the season you are travelling in, the RAC ticket may get upgraded to CNF either as soon as the journey begins, mid-way through the journey or not at all. If you do not move up past a wait list (WL) ticket before the train leaves, you can apply for a refund, but only up to a maximum of a few hours after the train leaves (3 hours for short journeys, up to 12 hours for long journeys). If you bought your ticket online, a WL tickets receive an automatic refund.

Final berth listing will not be completed until at 4-hours prior to departure. Once the checked list is posted, often final cancellations and government official reservations are re-positioned which allow WL and RAC to move up in the queue. It is also possible that the list moves downward as officials are granted priority seating, and later confirmed seats become non-confirmed. Booking non-confirmed is really a gamble, but more often than not the seat will become available, especially if your earlier in the queue.

If you arrive at the station while still waitlisted, wait until the train arrives. A reservation list will be posted at the beginning of each class or tier. Locate your name according to reservation number. If your name is not listed, your ticket remains non-confirmed.

Tatkal quota [ edit ]

All reserved trains keep a small quota of seats known as Tatkal ( Hindi pronunciation: tuht-kahl, meaning 'immediate', abbreviated as TK ) for sale one day before the departure date. There is an extra charge for these seats. This option is also available at the time of booking online. Even with this extra quota (about 4% of the seats on a train) it can sometimes be difficult to get the train you want when you want it. If you cancel a Tatkal ticket, you won't get any refund. Only four tickets can be booked at time. ID proof is must for Tatkal ticket booking.

Foreign tourist quota [ edit ]

Many important trains also have a foreign tourist quota (abbreviated as FT ) available for foreigners. This is a small number of seats reserved, on some trains, specifically for people traveling to India on a tourist visa. The price is the same, but if the train is full, there's a chance that there will still be FTQ tickets available, and vice versa. There are very few seats available for this quota, so it is best to try for a seat at least 2 or 3 days in advance.

Payment must be in foreign currency, usually US dollars ($) or British pounds (£), or in Indian rupees (₹) backed with adequate proof of foreign exchange conversion (an ATM receipt is usually acceptable). A passport may also be required. Tickets on the foreign tourist quota cannot be booked online.

Intracity transport [ edit ]

The larger cities in India are generally served by more than one railway station. Most trains might halt at only one station, while others may stop at two to three.

Suburban railway [ edit ]

Suburban railways, often known as "local trains", are often crowded but are generally the fastest and cheapest way to get around cities which have them. They use the existing broad-gauge network and usually get less importance than express trains. Those who are not accustomed to it are advised not to travel in those trains as it might be quite troublesome for them to alight from the train at the correct station after pushing through a large crowd of other commuters. IR runs suburban trains in Chennai , Delhi , Hyderabad , Kolkata , Mumbai and Pune .

Metros and monorails [ edit ]

Major metropolitan cities in India have rapid transit systems, which are popularly known as "metros" in India. They have their own railway lines separate from the broad-gauge network. As of 2023, Ahmedabad , Bangalore , Chennai , Delhi , Gurgaon , Hyderabad , Jaipur , Kanpur , Kochi , Kolkata , Lucknow , Mumbai , Nagpur , Noida and Pune are served by metro systems. Except Kolkata, all other metros are not operated by IR. Delhi Metro is the largest metro system which connects to a few other cities nearby.

Mumbai is also served by a 20-km monorail line and it is the only city in India with a monorail system. Although other Indian cities had planned monorail projects, most of them were converted to other transport projects as the Mumbai Monorail has faced multiple issues.

Rapid rail [ edit ]

Semi-high-speed regional trains, popularly known as "rapid rail", operate between a large urban area and a nearby smaller city. Like metros, they also have their own railway lines separate from the broad-gauge network. As of 2024, the Sahibabad–Duhai stretch of the Delhi – Meerut rapid rail is operational, and the trains used on that line are called Namo Bharat.

Trams [ edit ]

Tram systems in India were built by the British in Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata), Cawnpore (Kanpur) and Madras (Chennai). As of 2023, only the Kolkata trams remain and all other cities have phased out trams. Although appreciated for being emissions-free, they are not very popular due to their slow speeds.

Eat and drink [ edit ]

Eating and sleeping much depend on the type and class of the train. Cuisine in India is very diverse, and as food is usually prepared on stations the train stops at and served on board, you'll have a chance to experience the local cuisine when you travel! In the lower classes such as Sleeper Class there are often also hawkers selling food.

Hot food is available at mealtimes on almost every train in India. The food is mostly prepared in kitchens at railway stations and then loaded onto the train, either onto a pantry coach attached to the train (on most important trains), or just brought on board by waiters and distributed directly to passengers. In some trains food is cooked in the pantry coach of the train. In most cases, a waiter collects orders an hour or two before mealtimes and if you don't place an order, you may be left out in the cold, or if you are lucky, you can get some food at many railway junctions. However, in trains having a pantry car, breakfast is prepared on board the train and you do not have to place an order beforehand. You can tell which trains have a pantry car because there is a P listed with the classes available in Trains at a Glance . Meals available for lunch and dinner are generally vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis (rice, dal, a vegetable (chicken or fish curries for non-veg thalis), yoghurt (often sour), chapattis and occasionally, a sweet dish) or (veg/egg/chicken) biryani. Chilli chicken (sweet and sour chicken wings with chillis) is often available. Breakfast normally consists of vegetable cutlet and bread, or omelette and bread. Pantry car service always includes the sale of tea, coffee, cold drinks and "namkeen" (chips and other salty snacks). Note that while pantry cars mostly re-distribute food, they do have a small kitchen and, if you're sick of the dal/chapatti that shows up in the thali, it doesn't hurt to visit the pantry car and see if they can rustle up an omlet or some fresh chicken curry with parathas. The quality of food varies, with the fare being better in the South, North and West. The concept of hygiene, taste, and cuisine changes from region to region.

Most pantry cars and restaurants at stations are now managed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) [dead link] . IRCTC provides satisfactory quality and hygienic food aboard trains and at stations. IRCTC kiosks are ubiquitous where one can find snacks, breakfast, packed foods, biscuits, cookies, mineral water etc. At major stations, IRCTC has licensed Comesum to open fine-dine restaurants. There are also Jan Aahaar outlet at many junctions which provide tasty and healthy food at affordable prices.

On Rajdhanis, Vande Bharats, Shatabdis and Durontos, all meals are included in the fare and are served at your seat at mealtimes.

If you are finicky, bring enough food and bottled water for the journey including delays: bananas, bread and chocolate bars are good basics to have. Most important stations will have vendors selling all kinds of edible stuff, but the usual caveats about eating in India apply. Often, snacks and food reflect local specialities.

Sleep [ edit ]

In the train [ edit ].

Some places in the compartment are better than others for sleeping. In addition, the cheaper trains, often rather crammed, without air conditioning and stopping at every station may not offer an optimal environment for a good night's sleep. If you will stop for the night at a railway station you may not need to worry about finding a hotel room as many stations offer accommodation in retiring rooms.

The top ( UB ) and side upper ( SU ) bunks are best if you are the sort who likes to sleep early or late. The middle ( MB ) and bottom ( LB ) bunks are converted into seating area, so you will be forced to stay awake if everyone else in your compartment wants to stay up. Side lower ( SL ) and upper ( SU ) bunks are a great idea if you want a window seat, but they are a bit smaller than the other bunks, so don't choose them if you are a tall person. Note that 1A and FC classes do not have MB , SL or SU bunks, while 2A does not have MB bunk.

In stations [ edit ]

IR operates two hotels in Delhi and Howrah . Passengers can book independent rooms or dormitories on production of tickets. Known as the Rail Yatri Niwas , the facilities are very basic and the rooms are quite shabby. There is a self-service restaurant.

There are also two Railway Hotels in Puri , Odisha and Ranchi , Jharkhand , which offer far better service than the ones in Delhi and Howrah.

Retiring rooms are available at most major railway stations across the country. They offer basic facilities including a bed, mattress, blankets, drinking water, closet, toilet (and in the case of air-conditioned rooms) a television. One has to produce a reserved journey ticket in order to be able to book retiring rooms.

Dormitories , both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned, are available at almost all railway stations in India.

• 28.642314 77.220004 1 Rail Yatri Niwas , New Delhi railway station ( Metro: New Delhi    2   ), ☏ +91 11 2323-3484 . Dorm ₹145/bed, Single Non-AC ₹265, Double Non-AC ₹385/₹450, Double AC ₹850 . ( updated Sep 2022 )
• 22.58205 88.34245 2 Sampath Rail Yatri Niwas , New Complex, Howrah Junction railway station , ☏ +91 33 2660-1742 . Contains dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. First-class passengers can wait in an air-conditioned area with balcony views of the Kolkata skyline and the Howrah Bridge. Dorm ₹100/bed, Double Non-AC ₹350, Double AC ₹550, Triple Non-AC ₹400 . ( updated Oct 2022 )
• 19.807743 85.838029 3 Railway Hotel , Puri railway station , ☏ +91 6752 222-063 , fax : +91 6752 223-005 . Single ₹400/₹600, Double Non-A/C ₹/750/₹1000/₹1200, Double A/C ₹900/₹1500, Triple Non-A/C ₹850/₹1700 . ( updated Sep 2022 )

Stay safe [ edit ]

• Always watch your bags , especially in and around train stations. Once on a train, chain and lock your bags to the hooks provided under the lowest bunk, or keep them at your head. Make sure to also lock any exterior pockets (keep your toilet paper, and anything else you'll want on the outside). You can buy chains from chain-and-lock sellers who walk around train stations and trains.
• Do not take food or drink from any unknown passenger if they insist to do so. Politely decline their offer. There is a small chance the food or drink may be drugged so they can steal your belongings.
• It is also common among Indian travellers to board on and alight from moving trains. Such moves are obviously risky and travellers should wait until the train has stopped.
• India has two separate police forces for railway policing, namely the Railway Protection Force ( RPF ) and the Government Railway Police ( GRP ). Crimes that occur on trains and at railway stations should be reported to the GRP, as the RPF has no investigation power.

Connect [ edit ]

Cope [ edit ].

• Smoking and consumption of alcohol on all trains and at all railway stations is prohibited. There is a steep fine for violation of these rules.
• Bigger Indian train stations offer a standard set of facilities including cloak rooms to leave your luggage (slow and bureaucratic but cheap and reasonably safe; you must lock your own bag and show a ticket), First class waiting rooms (no touts or beggars), a computerised reservation office for advance bookings and a booking office for unreserved/same-day tickets. Restaurant facilities vary widely.
• Several railway stations also have touchscreen kiosks which help you track your train (real-time running information) and also provide a host of other details regarding bookings, schedules etc.
• All railway stations in India have signs in English mentioning the station name and details of facilities at the station. If you are still in doubt, asking around might be a bit of a problem because of the language barrier. In such circumstances, and in case of an emergency of any sort, contact the station master or the station superintendent for assistance. All station masters and superintendents speak English and will help you out.
• Don't just look at a map and assume a short trip, it's best to check Trains at a Glance before making your plans.
• Restrooms on Indian trains are usually of the squat variety (most carriages have two squat-type and two sit-down type toilets), and are serviceable at best. The cleanliness tends to deteriorate over the duration of a journey, and the toilets may even be broken, but on longer trips toilets are cleaned at intermediate stations. Washbasins are provided both inside and outside the toilets. Shower cubicles are available only on AC First carriages in Rajdhani Express trains.
• Enjoy the train, and speak to your fellow passenger. You may meet fascinating, wonderful people.
• In all the states, all the non-AC coaches (especially second class/general compartments) can be over-crowded because of local ticket-less passengers. At the time you may not find an authority to complain. So, better to adjust in the situation and try not to argue and complain. AC coaches are fairly safe from this problem.
• In all reserved classes, every passenger needs to carry a form of ID , though whether your ID will actually be checked depends on the serving Traveling Ticket Examiner (TTE).

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India's first train run took place today, 164 years ago: 7 fastest trains in the world

Read on to know which are the 7 fastest trains around the world..

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India's first train ran from Bombay (Mumbai) to Thane for around 34 kilometres on April 16 in the year 1853.

• 14 carriages, carrying around 400 passengers, left Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal) at 3:30 pm
• There was a 21-gun salute when the train was flagged off
• All 400 guests came invited. The native lords came from all over India to be a witness to the inauguration ceremony
• Not many know but in November 1852, a trial run also took place but it was done with a shunting locomotive instead of a rail engine.

The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was formed subsequently.

The Indian Railways has grown to be the biggest government entity in India ever since. After 163 years of the first train run, India is all set to get a superfast bullet train pretty soon.

Let's check out the 7 fastest trains in the world:

Maglev bullet train, Japan

The Man in Seat 61

A beginner's guide to

Train travel in india.

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Train travel UK & Ireland...

Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia, around india by train.

The best way to see India is at ground level on the incredible Indian railway system, not from 35,000 feet.  Experience the bustle of Indian railway stations and a comfortable journey on an Indian express train with the tea seller's cry of Chai, chai, garam chai wafting down the aisle.  Forget media images of crowded local trains with people sitting on the roof.  In an AC Chair Car or AC1 or AC2 sleeper on an express, all seats & berths are reserved and it’s safe, civilised, inexpensive & comfortable.  Even journeys such as Mumbai to Delhi or Delhi to Jaisalmer can be covered time-effectively by overnight sleeper, centre to centre, saving a hotel bill too.  Book Indian train tickets online at 12go.asia

Useful country information

Train routes & maps.

India's passenger rail network is the third biggest in the world after Russia and China, with 63,000 km of rail routes and 6,800 stations.  In terms of passenger kilometres, it's the biggest in the world.  Indian Railways are the world's biggest employer, with over 1.5 million staff.

The trains in India go almost everywhere, and it's generally safe to assume that you can travel between any two Indian cities or major towns by train, the length and breadth of the country.

Most of India's rail network is broad gauge with rails 5' 6" apart, wider than standard gauge (4' 8½") used in Europe, allowing Indian trains to be wider than European trains.  Parts of the country such as Rajasthan used to be served by an extensive metre-gauge network, but most metre-gauge routes have now been converted to broad gauge.  A few hill railway such as Kalka-Simla and New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling use narrow gauge, either 2' or 2' 6".

For an Indian railways route map see surveyofindia.gov.in/files/Railway map_Eng_C.jpg (please let me know if this stops working).

Also try www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/india-railway-map.htm , or indiarailinfo.com/atlas .

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How to check train times & fares

It can be easiest to check train schedules & fares for the main tourist routes at agency website 12go.asia , this can also sell you a ticket, hassle-free.

For train times & fares for any journey in India use www.indianrail.gov.in .

This is one of the various official Indian Railways websites, an amazing site but a little bewildering, not helped by there being another official site, www.indianrailways.gov.in .  It's a good training course for your travels in India.

To check train times, look for Reserved Train Between Stations at the top of their home page.

To check fares, first find a train and note the train number, then click Fare enquiry at the top of their home page.

To check availability over various dates, first find a train and note the train number, then click Seat availability at the top of their home page.

Or download an app for your phone.  There are many apps to choose from, the official IRCTC apps seem unavailable outside India so try these 3rd-party apps for checking Indian train times on the go.  They're ad-heavy, but they work, I find Ixigo the best.

Indian Rail IRCTC for iPhone or Indian Rail IRCTC for Android .

Ixigo for iPhone or Ixigo for Android .

You can also buy the famous Trains at a Glance timetable booklet for 100 rupees at any station bookstall (it makes a great souvenir), or click here to download the pages you need for free .  This shows times in printed form for most major stations on all the main routes.

Tips for checking Indian train times

Which station in which city .

Kashmir originally had no rail connection, but a line to Srinagar and beyond has now been completed with more under construction.  The line heads through tough terrain, and features the highest railway bridge in the world.  Srinagar's station code is SINA (not to be confused with another smaller Srinagar in Rajasthan with station code SNAR).

Khajuraho (a much-visited temple complex) now has a station, station code KURJ.  There's a daily overnight train called the Kurukshetra-Khajuraho Express leaving New Delhi station at 18:20, picking up at Agra Cantonment around 21:35 and arriving in Khajuraho at 08:00 next morning.  It  returns from Khajuraho at 18:35 arriving New Delhi at 08:45.

Example train times

Example fares from delhi.

£1 = 105 Rupees, €1 = 90 Rupees, $1 = 82 Rupees.

Shatabdi Express = Premier daytime train, special fare payable, meals included.

Rajdhani Express = Premier overnight train, special fare payable, meals included.

Child fares on Indian trains since April 2016:   Children aged 0 to 4 inclusive travel free.  Children aged 5 to 11 inclusive travel at half fare if they do not take up a reserved seat or berth, but as from April 2016 they must pay the adult fare if they travel with their own reserved seat or berth.  I do not recommend that any child aged 5 to 11 travels without their own seat or berth in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair car or Sleeper Class, so this effectively means you must now pay the adult fare for children aged 5 and over.  Children aged 12 and over pay the adult fare in all cases.

Classes explained

Which class to choose.

Above, a typical long-distance express or mail train with older carriages (not a premier Rajdhani or Duronto express).  You can just make out 3 cars in the centre of the train with different windows.  These are the AC cars, perhaps one AC1, one AC2 & one AC3 car.  The rest of the train is Sleeper class.  Courtesy of Albert Höchst.

Types of train

Which train to choose.

Executive Chair (EC) class on a Vande Bharat Express.  These are India's most modern trains, capable of 160 km/h (100 mph) & used at up to 130 km/h (80 mph).  See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vande_Bharat_Express .  Photos courtesy of Nonstop Eurotrip , see video of Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Express .

AVL, CNF, RAC & Waitlist

You need a reservation to travel on Indian long-distance trains, you can't just turn up and hop on.  Reservations are fully computerised using the world's largest computer reservation system.  Trains get fully-booked weeks in advance, so buy tickets as far ahead as possible.

When do bookings open?

Bookings for most Indian long-distance trains currently open 120 days before departure.

It was 60 days until 2008, when it was experimentally extended to 90 days, then it was experimentally extended even further to 120 days in 2012, reduced again to 60 days in 2013 to make ticket 'scalping' by agencies harder, but restored to 120 days as from 1 April 2015. 

Some short-distance inter-city trains may open for bookings less than this, for example Delhi-Kalka & Kalka-Simla may open only 30 days or in some cases just 15 days ahead.

The remarkable Indian Railways system

Indian Railways have a unique system with 4 possible statuses for seats/berths/bookings:

AVL = Available , these are seats or berths that are unsold and available for booking.

CNF = Confirmed .  When you book an available seat or berth, your PNR status (Personal Name Record) becomes CNF, confirmed.  You're safely booked on the train with a specific seat or berth.

RAC = Reservation Against Cancellation .  When all the seats or berths on a train in a given class have been sold, a certain number of tickets in that class are sold as Reservation Against Cancellation, or RAC.

WL = Waitlist .  When all the RAC places have been sold, further prospective passengers can buy Waitlist (WL) tickets.

If you go to www.indianrail.gov.in & click Seat availability you can see how many seats remain available in each class on a given train.

For example, today is 26 January, let's say I want to go from Delhi to Kolkata on the best train, the overnight Howrah Rajdhani in AC 2-tier. Tomorrow's train is fully-booked in AC2 and shown as NOT AVAILABLE.  I can buy Waitlisted tickets for this train on 28 and 29 January.  I can buy RAC tickets on any day between 30 January & 5 February and if I buy those I can definitely board the train and travel with (in practice) maybe a 90% chance of ending up with a berth to myself.  The first day on which AC 2-tier is shown as AVL so I can buy a ticket and instantly get a confirmed berth is 6 February.  The Foreign Tourist quota would help me here, there are 7 or 8 FT quota places shown as AVL every day from 27 January onwards, but I'll explain that in the quotas section .

Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC)

With an RAC ticket, you're allowed to board the train and travel.  Whatever happens, you know you're safely booked on that train.  So if you're offered an RAC ticket you should take it, even though you won't have a specific seat or berth number at this stage.

In the vast majority of cases, one of the confirmed passengers will cancel or unsold tickets will be left in one of the more obscure quotas on departure day and you'll be promoted from RAC to CNF with a confirmed seat or berth on the train.

Your name will then be shown against a specific seat or berth number on the reservation list pinned on the notice board at the boarding station on the day of travel when the train is charted , or you can check your PNR (Personal Name Record) status online .  A waitlisted passenger will be promoted from WL to RAC in your place.

In the unlikely event that nobody cancels, you'll be given a place to sit (but not a berth) in a carriage of the class you've booked.  For example, two RAC passengers might be given seats on a bunk that would normally be for one person.  In most cases, at least one of the confirmed passengers will fail to show up for the train and the on-board staff will allocate their berth to the passenger holding ticket RAC1.  The passenger holding ticket RAC2 will then be left with a berth to themselves, solving two RAC passengers' problems!  In the worst case scenario, if there were no no-shows the RAC passengers would have to sit up all night or take turns using the berth to snooze, but in practice this seldom happens.  Like I said, if an RAC place is available, you should take it.

A downside of buying RAC tickets as a couple, family or small group is that you might be split up, because you get the places freed up when people cancel or which are left when tickets remain unsold in special quotas.  But there's usually only one or two AC2 or AC3 cars on a given train, so in those classes you probably won't be far apart.

Incidentally, RAC tickets exist in AC2, AC3 & SL, but not in AC1, EC, CC or FC.  In AC1, EC, CC & FC, passengers are always CNF or WL.

Waitlist (WL)

With a WL ticket you cannot travel, unless you are promoted to RAC or CNF before departure.

Each WL ticket has two numbers at any given moment in time, for example WL10/WL3.

The first number is the ticket's original Waitlist number.  In this example, WL10 means you bought the Number 10 Waitlist ticket allocated to this train, 10th in the queue when the train opened for booking.  This number won't change, even if you are promoted to a confirmed place (CNF), your ticket will always be WL10 and shown as such on the reservation list.

The second number is your current position in the queue, this number will reduce as people cancel.  On websites & apps that show only one WL number rather than two, this is the number it shows.  In this example WL10/WL3 means that 7 people have already cancelled and you are now 3rd in line for promotion to RAC.  If 3 more people cancel, you'll be promoted to RAC and can travel.

If more people cancel you may even be promoted to CNF with a confirmed seat or berth.  With a low-numbered WL ticket you've a good chance of this happening.  For example, one traveller reports having Waitlisted places between WL1 and WL10 on numerous trips, and always successfully got promoted to CNF with a confirmed place on the train, usually in the 24 hours before departure as that's when all the movement takes place from tickets in unsold quotas being used to reduce the number of WL & RAC passengers.

Keep checking your PNR status online .  Even if you're only promoted to RAC, you can at least travel.  If the train is charted and you're still only Waitlisted, then you can't travel and your fare will automatically be refunded, less a minor clerkage fee.

How likely is a given WL ticket to be confirmed?

There are now several websites that claim to predict how likely it is that a given WL ticket will be confirmed and allow you on the train, based on historical data.  Try entering your PNR into trainman.in , or use it to see what the current availability of a given train is, and how likely it is that if you bought WL tickets they'd be confirmed by departure.

The Vikalp scheme (ATAS)

There's yet another process to help Waitlisted passengers.  When you buy a WL ticket, you may be asked if you want to opt in to the Vikalp scheme, also known as Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme or ATAS.  Vikalp is Hindi for option .

If you tick the Vikalp box, you're offered a selection of possible alternative trains and you can choose which of these you'd be willing to take if you can't get a berth on the train you've booked.  Then, if you are still Waitlisted (WL) when your original train is charted (so you can't travel on it), and if space is available in the same class on one of your chosen alternative trains, you'll be given a confirmed (CNF) berth on that instead.

An alternative train is one between the same or similar origin & destination leaving between 30 minutes & 72 hours after your original choice of train.  For example, a train leaving from Old Delhi or Delhi H.Nizamudin might be considered alternatives to a train from New Delhi.

If there are several of you on one PNR, either all of you will be given places on an alternative train or none of you will, so don't worry, you won't be split up.  However, once you opt in to Vikalp, you can't opt out again.  And if you are transferred to a CNF place on an alternative train and decide you don't want it, you can cancel but only in line with the terms & conditions of a CNF place, which means a partial refund less the CNF cancellation fees (as an unsuccessful Waitlisted passenger on your original train you'd normally have been refunded almost all of your money).

Charting is the process of drawing up the final passenger list for each carriage of a given train, allocating names to berths.  The list is posted on the reservations notice board at stations or you can check your PNR status online .

During this process, any unsold tickets in quotas such as handicapped, military or parliamentary are released, freeing up places so RAC passengers can be moved up to Confirmed (CNF) and WL passengers to RAC or CNF.  So if you have a WL ticket and haven't already been promoted to RAC or CNF as passengers cancel, this is when you discover whether or not you're on the train.

It's also at this point that specific berth numbers are allocated to AC1 sleeper passengers, which is why you can't choose between an AC1 2-berth coupé and an AC1 4-berth compartment when you book.

Charting for trains leaving their origin station between 12:00 & 23:00 takes place around 4 hours before departure from that station.

Charting for trains leaving their origin between 23:00 & 12:00 takes place 19:00-21:00 Monday-Saturday or 13:00-15:00 Sundays & holidays.

How to check your current status

You can confirm your current PNR (Personal Name Record) status as WL, RAC or CNF at www.indianrail.gov.in/pnr_Enq.html or using one of the apps suggested above , by entering the PNR number shown on your ticket.

Remember that things can change even on the day of departure, most movement happens shortly before departure, when the train is charted.

When you buy a ticket, it comes from a specific quota.  A quota is simply an allocation of tickets for a particular type of traveller such as  senior, handicapped, military or government, on each train in each class.  By default, tickets come from the General quota.

General (GN) quota

Remote location (rl) & pooled (pq) quotas, handicapped, senior & ladies quotas.

The Senior quota is only for Indian seniors so don't use this if you're not Indian.

The Ladies quota only exists in Sleeper class & AC3, it gets you berths in one small bay reserved for women, it's hardly worth bothering with.

The Lower Berth quota is for anyone with mobility issues who can't use the ladder to the upper berths, so absolutely needs a lower. 

When a train is charted and the final reservation list is compiled, any unsold seats or berths in these quotas will be freed up used to reduce the RAC/Waitlist, promoting RAC passengers to CNF and WL passengers to RAC and (once all RAC passengers are confirmed) CNF.

Foreign Tourist (FT) quota

Many important trains have a small Foreign Tourist (FT) quota of seats or berths available only to foreign tourists.  The purpose of the FT quota is to allow foreign tourists to book trains at short notice notice when the General quota is fully-booked.

It's not a foolproof way to travel around India without pre-booking:  There's an FT quota on only 200 trains a day out of some 9,000 trains, and the quota might be just 2 places, seldom more than 12, in one or two specific classes, typically AC1 & AC2 or CC.  So even using the FT quota, you may have to wait a day or so before there is a berth available to your chosen destination in your chosen class.

For example, today is 25 January, the earliest date for which AC2 tickets available from the General quota on the Delhi-Varanasi Swatantrtwa Express is 11 February. But if I look at the Foreign Tourist quota, although there are no tickets today, there are two tickets available in AC2 tomorrow, and on each of the following few days.

If you buy an FT quota ticket at a ticket office or tourist reservation centre, you must pay in US Dollars, pounds sterling, or rupees backed by an exchange certificate proving they've come from a bank or bureau de change in exchange for foreign currency.  Rupees backed by an ATM receipt and foreign bank card are usually sufficient.  You can now book tickets from the Foreign Tourist quota when booking online .

Let's be clear, as a foreign tourist, you don't have to book from the FT quota.  Anyone of any nationality can book from the General quota whenever it's available.  And FT tickets are a little more expensive than tickets from the General quota, too.

Indeed, if there are still seats available in the General quota when you book, you shouldn't use the FT quota .  Because later on when the train is fully-booked, some other overseas visitors may urgently need those precious few FT places, desperate to get a train back to Delhi for their flight home.  If you used up all the FT places weeks ahead when you didn't need to, those travellers may be stranded!

Tatkal (TQ & PT) quotas

To allow travel at short notice on trains that are often fully-booked weeks before departure, Indian Railways introduced a system called Tatkal (Hindi for immediate ).  A number of tickets on key trains are held back and released at 10:00 one day before departure (originally 72 hours before departure, reduced to 2 days back in 2009 and just 1 day in 2011).  They are sold with a Tatkal fee of 10% of the fare in 2nd class or 30% in all other classes.  There are in fact two Tatkal quotas, regular Tatkal (TQ quota) with fixed fares, and Premium Tatkal (PT quota) with variable fares that increase with demand.  Tatkal places can also be booked online .  If there are seats available in the Foreign Tourist quota then the Tatkal quota may be irrelevant for you, if not, the Tatkal system can be useful.

How to buy tickets online

Indian trains often get fully-booked weeks in advance as demand usually exceeds supply.  So if you have a fixed itinerary and limited time you should buy tickets in advance before you get to India.

I recommend ticketing agency 12go.asia as option 1 for good reason:  It's hassle-free, even though it only does the principle trains on the routes usually requested by visitors.  It only sells confirmed tickets, it doesn't sell RAC or WL places.  It happily accepts overseas credit cards.

However, for complete access to all routes, trains, ticket types & quotas including Waitlisted & RAC , you must face the challenge of registering with the official Indian Railways booking website irctc.co.in, which is option 2.  I provide detailed instructions below.  Be warned, the process may drive you nuts.  Some people give up, others manage it in the end, but once registered you can book anything.

Option 1, buy at 12go.asia

I recommend ticketing agency 12go.asia as the quickest & easiest way to buy tickets for the principal trains and routes used by tourists, it makes booking trains as easy as booking flights.

You can check prices & availability online, pay with an international credit card and get the same e-ticket you'd get if you booked directly with irctc.co.in, but without the frustration of having to create an account and register with irctc.co.in.

Booking opens 120 days ahead , although some short-distance inter-city trains have a shorter booking horizon.  You can't buy tickets before reservations open.  Indian trains get fully booked weeks ahead, so book as far ahead as you can to be sure of a place.

How it works

12go.asia 's system shows fares & availability in real time, taken from IRCTC's system.  You select your train & class and click to buy.  Tickets are then manually secured by 12go staff using IRCTC's business-to-business booking system.

You can choose to see prices & pay in Indian Rupees, USD, GBP, Euros & several other currencies.

Limitations

12go.asia sells tickets for all the major routes of interest to visitors, but not between every possible station.  For that you need irctc.co.in.

Option 2, buy at www.irctc.co.in

You can buy train tickets direct from Indian Railways at the IRCTC website www.irctc.co.in .

Registering to use www.irctc.co.in is a time-consuming and frustrating process, but once registered you'll have access to all routes, trains, classes & ticket types.

Irctc.co.in has accepted overseas (non-Indian) credit cards since 2016, although it occasionally goes through periods when international cards don't seem to be accepted, just to keep everyone on their toes.  You must select the payment option which mentions International cards powered by PayU at the payment stage.

How to register for an IRCTC account

Go to www.irctc.co.in and click REGISTER top right.

Now enter the details to create an account.

Choose a username , some trial and error may be needed.

Enter your mobile phone number - your home country's international dialling code goes in the box marked ISD (this box says '91' until you have changed India to your own country in the box above).  The ISD for the UK is '44'.  Then enter your mobile phone number without any leading '0'.

Pin code means postcode .  Use 123456 as it won't accept UK-style postcodes.  Under Post Office , just enter your city & phone number again.

Payment problems paying the SMS verification fee

Just after I test-registered they imposed a fee for sending the OTP to a non-Indian mobile.  A few people have had credit card acceptance problems in paying this fee, but others find paying the fee works fine.  Again, I don't know why, but it could be problems with your own bank detecting and blocking a 'suspicious'  foreign transaction.  Give them a call!

How to buy tickets at www.irctc.co.in

When you click to see availability on a particular train, you will see places shown as AVL , RAC or WL , see the explanation of Reservation Against Cancellation & Waitlisting here .

AVL = Available , this means there are tickets available for confirmed seats or berths on that train. 

RAC = Reservation Against Cancellation , this means that the train is theoretically full, but Reservation Against Cancellation tickets are available for that train which allow you to board and be allocated a berth by the conductor.  So if you only see RAC tickets available, my advice is to go ahead and book, you'll still be able to travel on that train.

Tip:  Download the IRCTC app for your phone.   Download the IRCTC Rail Connect app for iPhone (if it's available in your region, it may not be) or IRCTC Rail Connect app for Android onto your phone.  You'll probably find you can't buy tickets with overseas credit cards using the app, but tickets bought online at the IRCTC website will show up in the app and can be shown to the conductor.  You can check train times, and see the current status of your booking if you are waitlisted or RAC.  Feedback appreciated .  I recommend some other apps that are available outside India in the travel tips section .

Option 3, Cleartrip.com, Makemytrip.com , Ixigo.com

How to buy tickets at the station.

The main stations in big cities and tourist centres such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi have an International Tourist Bureau where foreign travellers can book trains away from the crowds and queues at the normal booking office.  There is also a 24-hour rail booking office at Delhi International Airport.

For a list of stations with an International Tourist Bureau & opening times, see www.indianrail.gov.in , select Information then International Tourist .

New Delhi International Tourist Bureau ( temporarily closed )

U pdate 2024:   The New Delhi International Tourist Bureau remains temporarily closed due to the pandemic and low numbers of tourists.  A notice directs tourists to the international tourist counter at the Rail Reservation Centre 300m down the road, see the section below .

When open, the International Tourist Bureau at New Delhi railway station makes it easy for foreign visitors to buy tickets.  They could often sell you places out of the tourist quota, even when a train is fully-booked for Indian passengers.  Before the pandemic, it was normally open 06:00-23:00 every day, it's now temporarily closed.

How to find it

Enter New Delhi main station entrance on the Paharganj side (shown in the photo below left), veer slightly to the left and go up one flight of stairs to find yourself outside the International Tourist Bureau, as shown in the photo below right.  It's above platform 1.  If it doesn't look like the photo below, it isn't the real International tourist office.

New Delhi international tourist counter

Mumbai csmt, formerly bombay victoria terminus.

A station to rival London's St Pancras, Mumbai CSMT is an attraction in its own right.  Completed in 1887, its full title is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or (officially) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, station code CSMT .  Known as Bombay Victoria Terminus until 1996 and still known as 'VT' by many, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus .

Foreign Tourist Counter:   At Mumbai CSMT you can easily buy tickets from the foreign tourist quota at the Foreign Tourist counter, counter 4 downstairs in the Reservation Centre at CSMT.  It moved from counter 20 upstairs in 2018, please let me know if it changes again.

Tips for train travel in India

Checking your reservation.

The reservation system is very efficient and the days of finding your reserved berth already occupied by several passengers are long gone.  Your train, coach & berth number will be printed on your ticket - unless you're travelling in AC1 in which case the reservation list with your allocated berth numbers is only compiled a 2-4 hours before departure.

Reservation lists for each class in each long-distance train are posted on the notice board at each station about two hours before departure, showing the name, age and sex of each passenger reserved in each berth in each coach.  The age and sex help the ticket inspector identify that the right passenger is in the right berth.  A reservation list for each coach used to be pasted next to the entrance door on the train itself, but this is no longer done.

If you need to check your reservation, you can do so on your phone or laptop by entering your PNR (= booking reference) a PNR status-checking website such as www.railyatri.in/pnr-status or etrain.info/in , or using one of the Indian railways apps.

Download an app

I recommend downloading an app for your phone.  There are a bewildering number to choose from, some official, some 3rd party.  The official IRCTC apps seem unavailable outside India, so try these:

Indian Rail IRCTC for iPhone or Ixigo for iPhone .

Indian Rail IRCTC for Android or Ixigo for Android .

With these you can:

Check train schedules between any two stations.

Check a train's schedule at each of its calling points.  It also shows the train formation and carriage numbering to help you find your seat or berth.

Check your PNR status to see whether a Waitlisted ticket has become RAC or Confirmed.

Check real-time train running to see if your train is on time.

Check the platform for your train using the Live Station Info button, so you won't have to rely on the station departure displays to find your train.

Set a destination alarm to warn you a certain number of kilometres before your destination.

Luggage on Indian trains

Luggage is not a problem on Indian trains, you take your bags with you onto the train and place them on the overhead racks or underneath the lower berths.

The free luggage allowance is generous:  You can take to 70 Kg in AC1, 50 Kg in AC2, 40 Kg in AC3, AC Chair class or Sleeper class, 35 Kg in 2nd class seats.  Most western travellers are unlikely to exceed that, but if you really need to, you can pay an excess luggage fee and take up to 150 Kg in AC1 or 100 Kg in AC2.  However, the maximum is 40 Kg in AC3 or AC Chair class.

Theft of luggage is rare, but for peace of mind take along a bicycle lock or medium-sized padlock to secure your bags.  In the sleeping-cars, there are wire hoops hanging down underneath the seats to which you can padlock your luggage while you sleep.

Carriage numbers

The carriage numbers shown on tickets, on reservation lists and on the side of each coach consist of a letter and a number, for example H1, A1, A2, B1, B2, S1, S2, S3 and so on.  The letter shows the class of accommodation in that car.

A = air-con 2-tier (2A).

B = air-con 3-tier (3A).

AB = composite coach, half air-con 2-tier, half air-con 3-tier.

C = air-con chair car (CC).

D = non-air-con 2nd class reserved (@S).

E = executive chair class (EC).

G & J are used for AC 3-tier & Air-conditioned Chair class on Garib Rath trains.

H = air-conditioned 1st class (1A).

HA = composite coach, half AC1, half AC2.

S = sleeper class (SL).

There's typically just one air-con 1st class sleeper on a given train, so that's usually numbered H1.  If there were two air-con 2-tier cars on a train, those cars would be numbers A1 & A2.  So if you booked an AC2 ticket you'd expect to be given a car number 'A1' or 'A2', if you booked AC1 you'd expect to be in car H1 or HA1.

Food and drink on Indian trains

There are no restaurant or buffet cars on Indian Railways, but on long distance trains an attendant will appear in your coach and ask you if you would like to order food.  He will note down your order (usually a choice of 'veg' or 'non-veg') on a bit of paper.  An hour or so later he will reappear with some rice and curry in small foil containers from the kitchen car.  It is not expensive - you can reckon on £2-£3 per meal.  Attendants also regularly pass down each car selling soft drinks, snacks, or excellent hot sweet Indian tea (garam chai) for a few rupees.  On the premier Rajdhani Express trains (linking Delhi with Mumbai, Kolkata, etc.) and the premier daytime Shatabdi Express trains (linking Delhi with Jaipur and Agra, etc.), food is included in the fare, served at your seat.

Pre-order your food from a restaurant of your choice.   Alternatively, there are now several Indian websites that allow you to pre-book food to be delivered to your seat on the train from various vendors along the way.  If you have a confirmed train booking you can go to railrestro.com , enter your PNR, select a vendor you like the sound of who is located at a station where your train calls at a suitable time, and select specific items from their menu to be delivered to you on board the train at that station - reports so far have been very positive, but feedback is always appreciated !

Cleanliness, toilets & crowding

The efficient reservation system means that you can safely forget any pictures you've seen of overcrowded Indian trains with people on the roof or hanging on the side.  These these photos show suburban or local trains, or unreserved 2nd class on long-distance ones.  On fast long-distance trains in AC1, AC2, AC3, or AC Chair Class, all passengers have an assigned seat or sleeping berth so there's no overcrowding.  Don't expect pristine western standards anywhere in India, but you'll find AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC Chair class clean by Indian standards, with both western-style and squat toilets usually in a reasonably sanitary condition, see the train interior photos below.  On the other hand, Sleeper Class gets much grubbier than the AC classes and unreserved passengers can sometimes enter the coaches making it crowded.  2nd class unreserved can be incredibly crowded.  Toilets in sleeper class or basic non-AC 2nd class seats can leave a lot to be desired.

Safety & security

Indian trains are safe to travel on, even for families or women travelling alone, and you are unlikely to have any problems.  As in any busy place anywhere, pickpockets operate at the major stations (for example Delhi and New Delhi), so take care.  Oh, and be prepared:  If anyone tells you that your train is cancelled, that the ticket office has closed or has moved to a travel agency across the road, or your pre-booked hotel has burnt down or been abducted by aliens, please politely ignore them, even if they look 'official', to avoid ending up in a travel agency paying for a car and driver at vast expense, or booking their 'alternative' hotel which of course will luckily have a room available.  These are all well-known scams (yawn...) to get travel agency business, usually obvious to any regular India hand, but first-timers have been known to fall for them.

Do Indian trains run on time?

Indian Railways are generally remarkably efficient, but Indian trains do run late, sometimes hours rather than minutes.  To get a feel for it, why not go to either www.trainenquiry.com or www.erail.in and see how late yesterday's Delhi-Jaisalmer Express arrived, or last Thursday's Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express?  At www.erail.in , select the origin and destination that interests you, and bring up the train list.  Now find the train that you want and click on it.  Now select a date and click the 'train running status' button.  It will show you a table of scheduled times and actual times at each station.  Data is only held for the last few days, not weeks or months ago.  At www.trainenquiry.com , you simply enter the train number or name, then select from a list of possible trains.

Alternatively, these examples from my own travels may give you a feel for the likely delay:  Delhi-Varanasi overnight express spot on time, Bombay-Howrah Mail 1½ hours late, Chennai-Mumbai Chennai Express 40 minutes late, Kolkata-Delhi Rajdhani Express spot on time (Rajdhani Expresses get priority and are pretty punctual), Delhi-Agra Shatabdi Express spot on time (Shatabdi Expresses also get priority and are pretty punctual), Jaisalmer-Delhi Express 2 hours late starting and 3 hours late arriving, Delhi-Kalka-Simla Himalayan Queen spot on time, Varanasi-Agra-Jaipur Marudhar Express 50 minutes late, Chennai-Delhi Grand Trunk Express 1½ hours late.

Recharging mobiles & cameras

There are shaver sockets in most AC1/2/3 sleeper cars and many Indian trains now have power outlets for mobiles and laptops.  However, I never travel without an Anker powerbank which can recharge your phone several times over if you're on the move and can't get to a power outlet.

Other Indian train tips

Bring your own toilet paper.  You'll normally find one western toilet and one squat toilet at one or both ends of the car.  In AC1, AC2, AC Chair Class and even AC3 the toilets are normally reasonably clean by Indian standards, and in full working order.  Sleeper Class and 2nd class toilets may be a different matter!

Make sure you research when to visit India carefully - in summer it can be unbearably hot, and you also want to avoid the monsoon rains.  And in January & February in Northern India that there can be major disruption to road, rail & air due to thick fog, so bear that in mind.

Finally, forewarned is forearmed

In India, if someone asks which hotel you're going to, then announces that this hotel has been flooded, burnt down, or abducted by aliens, they are of course trying to get commission from sending you to another hotel - that's often painfully obvious and it's almost funny!  Smile, ignore them, and persist in walking to your own hotel, which will of course be open as usual.  But similarly, especially at big stations such as New Delhi, if an official-looking person (they may even show you a badge) says your train has been cancelled, or says you can't board without a boarding pass (with an e-ticket you can get on the train, there's no such thing as a boarding pass), smile, ignore them, walk past, and persist until you see the actual departure indicators and get your train.  If necessary, go and see the station master!  Although this has never happened to me, there are occasional reports of travellers being conned into buying new tickets from a nearby travel agency, being sent to a nearby travel agency when they wanted the genuine New Delhi foreigners booking office, or being conned into hiring a private car and driver for hundreds of dollars when they already had trains booked, which of course weren't really cancelled.  So smile, ignore, persist, go and see the departure boards with your own eyes, find and get on your train, and have a giggle about it later!  If you encounter any of this, feedback (and a good laugh) is always appreciated!

The 11 classes on Indian trains

There are 11 classes of accommodation on Indian trains or at least, 11 different class codes in the system.  You can argue that 3E is a variation of 3A, EA a variation of EC and that 2S & GN are the same (both are 2nd class seats, one reserved, the other unreserved).  But that's still 8 classes!

Only a small selection of classes is available on any given train, a typical long-distance train might have one AC1 car, one or two AC2 cars, perhaps an AC3 car, then a long line of 6, 7 or 8 Sleeper class cars and maybe one GN or 2S car at the end.  But it varies, of course.

Here are the classes, in roughly descending order of cost, together with the usual 2 & 3-letter abbreviations.  A request:  If you get any clear interior photos of AC2, AC3 or Sleeper class which would better illustrate these classes, please get in touch !

Air-conditioned first class (AC1 or 1A)

Air-conditioned 2-tier (ac2 or 2a).

AC2 is relatively clean & comfortable, with room to spread out.  It's the class typically used by middle class Indian families and a good choice for most western visitors.   AC2 is found on almost all decent long-distance trains including the premier Rajdhani & Duronto expresses.

AC2 offers padded leatherette seats by day which convert to flat padded bunks at night.  AC2 coaches are open-plan with berths arranged in bays of four on one side of the aisle (two upper, two lower, transverse across the car width), and in bays of two on the other side of the aisle, arranged longitudinally along the coach side above and below the windows.  If you're tall, you should book a transverse berth.

Each bay is curtained off for privacy, and an attendant distributes pillows, clean sheets and blankets in the evening.  Update:  Curtains were removed  as a Covid-19 precaution and may still be absent.

Click for car plans & berth numbering in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class .

Air-conditioned 3-tier (AC3 or 3A)

AC3 has a similar layout to AC2, but instead of upper & lower berths it has 3 tiers of bunks - upper, middle and lower - arranged in bays of six on one side of the aisle, and longitudinal bays of two - upper and lower - along the wall on the other side of the aisle.  As in AC2, an attendant distributes pillows, sheets and blankets in the evening.  Berths convert to seats for daytime use.

With 3 people sitting on each bench seat during the day rather than just 2, it feels a lot more crowded than AC 2-tier, and at night there is less height-space between each bunk - the top bunks are significantly higher up near the ceiling.  AC3 may lack the privacy curtains and individual berth lights usually found in AC2.  As in AC2, you should avoid the longitudinal berths if you are tall.  Still, if you find AC2 fully-booked, most western travellers will find AC3 an acceptable fall-back.  See car plans & berth numbering in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class .  Photos courtesy of Rachel Poschi.

Air-conditioned 3-tier economy (3E)

Executive anubhuti chair car (ea), ac executive chair class (ec).

AC Executive Chair Class is only found on the high-quality Shatabdi Express , Vande Bharat Express & Tejas Express trains.  Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, basic pre-packaged food & drink is included in the fare, served at your seat.  It's also known as First AC Chair class.  Seat numbering plan for AC Chair cars .

AC Chair class (CC)

AC Chair class is a good choice for daytime journeys.  Comfortable & air-conditioned, they have seats arranged 2+3 across the car width.  AC Chair Class is found on the Shatabdi Expresses, Vande Bharat Express, the several Tejas Express trains and a number of other inter-city daytime trains, for example Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Kalka for Simla.   Seat numbering plan, AC Chair cars .

Sleeper Class (SL)

This is the way the bulk of the Indian population travels on long-distance trains, but it's also used by many more adventurous backpackers who are prepared to take the rough with the smooth.  The majority of cars on a typical long-distance mail or express train will be sleeper class.

Sleeper class consists of open-plan berths, arranged in bays of 6 bunks (upper, middle and lower) on one side of the aisle, and bays of 2 bunks (upper & lower) along the coach wall on the other side of the aisle.  Bunks fold away to form seating for daytime use.  It's the same basic layout as AC3, but without the air-con and without any privacy curtains.  Bedding is not provided, so bring a sleeping-bag.

Sleeper class is found on almost all long-distance trains except for the premier Rajdhani & Duronto services.  Sleeper class can be crowded (although in theory all berths must be reserved, so it can't get overcrowded), and it's fairly grubby and basic.  On the other hand, you get a better view of the countryside then in AC coaches, where the windows are sealed, tinted and sometimes dirty.  In summer, there are fans on the ceiling and a breeze from the windows.  In winter, wrap up warm at night and take a sleeping bag and fleece, as it can get cold.    Berth numbering system, AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class cars .

1st class (FC)

Traditional non-air-con 1st class has now almost disappeared, as Indian Railways have progressively phased it out in favour of AC 2-tier.  But for the record, ordinary first class consists of non-air-conditioned sleeper coaches with lockable 4-berth and 2-berth compartments, a similar layout to AC1 but without the AC.  Bedding is not provided, and it's much grubbier than AC1, AC2 or AC3 as it's not sealed against the dirt .

2nd class seats (2S = reserved or GN = unreserved)

Open plan cars with wooden or padded plastic seats, sometimes reserved and shown online as 2S, sometimes unreserved and shown online as either GN or II.  Not recommended for long distance overnight journeys (you'll see the huge scrum of Indians all trying to bag a seat in unreserved 2nd class), but quite acceptable for daytime journeys of up to a few hours if you're on a budget.

IndRail pass es:  Discontinued in 2017

Where to go in india.

First-time visitors often wonder where to start in such a vast country and they're sometimes told to tour only a small area, for example stick to Rajasthan or perhaps the beaches of Goa.  But I suggest a bolder approach.  Use the remarkable Indian train network to see a varied cross-section of India's highlights, picking one example from each type of place:  A big city, a colonial hill station, a princely city or two in Rajasthan, then Agra of course for the Taj Mahal, and also Varanasi, the classic Hindu holy city on the Ganges.  This way, you'll see some incredible highlights and complete contrasts, with overnight trains minimising both daytime travelling time and hotel bills.

A suggested itinerary

Here's what I personally consider the best itinerary around Northern India, taking in an amazing variety of classic Indian cities in as little as 2 weeks.  Highlight after highlight in a 2-week itinerary.  If you have longer to spare, add an extra day or two here and there and/or add one more Rajasthani city, Udaipur.

Delhi 1-3 days.  Contrast the bustling old city with Lutyens' gracious New Delhi.

Take the Swatantrta S Express leaving New Delhi at 21:15 arriving Varanasi Junction at 08:05 next morning. AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

Varanasi 2-3 days.  Formerly called Benares, Varanasi is the must-see Hindu holy city on the Ganges.  Make sure you stay in a local Indian riverside hotel such as the Hotel Alka , with its terrace overlooking the Ganges.  Western chain hotels are usually located in the new town, well away from all the amazing riverside action.  The Hotel Alka is one of the better hotels in this top riverside location, and eating a Thai on the terrace as the Diwali fireworks went off overhead and Lilly pads with candles drifted down the Ganges was an unforgettable experience.

Take the Marudhar Express from Varanasi Junction around 18:25 arriving Agra Fort at 06:40 next morning. AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.  No AC1.

Agra 2 days, remembering to visit the fantastic deserted royal city of Fatephur Sikhri 30km away by bus or car.  Agra may be the most touristy place in India, but the Taj is utterly beautiful and well worth the tourist tout hassle.  Agra fort and the ‘baby Taj’ are also worth a visit.

Take the Marudhar Express from Agra Fort around 06:45 arriving Jaipur at 11:50 the same day. AC2, AC3, Sleeper class (No AC1).

Jaipur 2-3 days.  The 'Pink City' is one of the most wonderful princely cities in Rajasthan, and indeed in India.

Take the daily Raniket Express leaving Jaipur at 10:10 arriving Jaisalmer at 22:30 the same day, with AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

Or the Shalimar Express on Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun leaving Jaipur 17:45 arriving Jaisalmer 05:30 next morning, with AC1, AC2, AC3 & sleeper class.

Jaisalmer 2-3 days.  This is Rajasthan’s ultimate fairytale city and one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of India, in the desert close to the Pakistan border.  For many years it had no airport so only those who made the effort got to experience it, although sadly it may now have flights using the military airbase nearby.

Take the Shalimar Express leaving Jaisalmer at 23:25 on Mon, Wed, Thus, Sat and arriving at Old Delhi at 16:50 next day. AC1, AC2, AC3, sleeper class.  Spend the night in Delhi.

Take the Kalka Shatabdi leaving New Delhi at 07:40 arriving Kalka at 11:40. AC Executive chair class and AC Chair class, meal included served at your seat. Change onto the waiting narrow-gauge Simla toy train leaving Kalka at 12:10 arriving Simla at 17:20 with (non-AC) 1st class, AC Chair class, 2nd class. The journey to Simla by narrow gauge Toy Train is an absolute delight.

Simla 2-3 days.  Cool relaxation and colonial mock-Tudor charm in this lovely Himalayan hill station from the days of the Raj.  The ideal final destination for your trip!  The upmarket colonial-style Clarkes Hotel is wonderful.

Take the toy train leaving Simla at 18:05 arriving Kalka at 22:40. Change onto the mainline Netaji Express leaving Kalka at 23:55 and arriving Old Delhi at 06:00. AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

How to book this itinerary

Option 1 is to arrange it all yourself .  First sketch out your itinerary, perhaps using the technique explained here .  Then book each train journey at 12go.asia (hassle-free, although naturally they charge a reasonable agency mark-up) or get yourself registered with IRCTC and book as explained here .  Then book each of your hotels separately using Booking.com .  This is the budget option, if you don't mind the legwork and managing it yourself.

Option 2 is to have it all booked for you, hassle-free .  I've arranged for train specialists Railbookers to offer this exact itinerary as a package, with trains, hotels, transfers (and if you like, your flight to India) all sorted for you.  This costs more than sorting it all out yourself, but it saves a lot of effort (and possible frustration) and as it's then a package, if anything affects one part of the tour Railbookers will sort things out for you.  Their suggested tour can be customised to your own requirements, to spend more or less time in each place.  Railbookers is an ABTA member and holidays including flights are ATOL protected.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk . 

  us call free 1-888-829-4775, see website .,   canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website .,   australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website . ,   new zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website ., alternative versions.

Alternatively, just pick on big city, one hill station, a couple of cities in Rajasthan, and a couple of places from the 'other' list below and create your own itinerary.  How about:  Kolkata - (overnight sleeper train to New Jalpaiguri then the famous Darjeeling Toy Train) - Darjeeling - Varanasi - (overnight sleeper train) - Agra - (daytime train) - Jaipur - (overnight sleeper train) - Kolkata?

The big cities

The royal cities of rajasthan, old colonial hill stations, other places to see, two personal favourites:  a ride to darjeeling.

A personal favourite is the ride to Darjeeling on the narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalaya Railway (DHR), and a night or two at the wonderful Windamere Hotel .  The DHR is now a UN World Heritage Site.

Travel from Kolkata's Sealdah station to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) on the broad gauge Darjeeling Mail, leaving Sealdah at 22:05 and arriving NJP at 08:15 next morning.  The Darjeeling Mail has AC1, AC2, AC3, sleeper class and 2nd class accommodation.  Then take the connecting DHR 'toy train' up to Darjeeling, leaving NJP at 10:00 daily, arriving Darjeeling at 17:30.  It's a long ride on a narrow gauge train, sometimes next to the hill road, sometimes through jungle, and sometimes through the streets.

You can check the current status of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway at www.dhrs.org/page4.html - it has it's ups and downs, if you'll pardon the expression.

Once in Darjeeling, the place to stay is the Windamere Hotel .  Originally a boarding house for bachelor tea planters, it became a hotel in 1939.  Meals are served by white-gloved, turbanned waiters and eaten by candlelight to the sound of Cole Porter tunes on the piano.  Even if you can't afford it, make sure you come along for afternoon tea - probably the best cup of tea you will ever drink.

...and a ride to Simla.

A little bit more robust than the line to Darjeeling, the similar toy train up to Simla in the Himalayan foothills is the way to reach Simla, once India's summer capital.  Take a fast broad-gauge train from New Delhi to Kalka and change there onto the Toy Train up into the hills.  The train ride to Simla is one of Simla's highlights on its own.  If you get the chance, use the Shivalik Deluxe Express on the way back down from Simla (it connects with the overnight express to New Delhi going forward next day to Kolkata).  The Shivalik Deluxe has plush fabric-covered first class armchairs, and a meal is served at your seat, included in the price.  Although it gets dark as you descend, at stations without electricity the signalmen hand the single-line token to the driver whilst holding burning torches, the shimmering flames lighting up the side of the train.  It's wonderfully atmospheric.

Tours of India by train

The cheapest option is to arrange everything yourself, independently, but this takes time and effort.  If you want a customisable itinerary with all your train tickets, up-market hotels and transfers arranged for you, you can do this through train specialists Railbookers.  Their website has various example itineraries including a one-week Golden Triangle one visiting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, but have a look at the suggested itinerary above covering Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer & Simla as I think it's the best 2-week itinerary around northern India that you'll find, and I've arranged for Railbookers to offer it.  Railbookers takes good care of their clients and gets very good reviews.

Escorted tours in India by train

If you'd prefer to travel with a group of fellow travellers escorted by a professional tour guide, check are Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com , in the UK call 01904 527 120) and Rail Discoveries , www.raildiscoveries.com , 01904 730 727.  Both offer popular escorted tours covering India's 'Golden Triangle' of Delhi, Agra for the Taj Mahal and Jaipur in Rajasthan.  At the time of writing, Great rail Journeys also do an escorted tour covering Delhi, Amritsar for the Golden Temple, Agra for the Taj Mahal, Lucknow, Varanasi on the Ganges and Kathmandu in Nepal, with departures on various dates through the year.

Tourist cruise trains

There are now several luxury cruise trains catering for tourists and offering sightseeing itineraries around Indian cities.  All of these trains are in effect 5 star international hotels on wheels, allowing you to see India in great comfort.

The Palace on Wheels

See www.palacesonwheels.com and see the Palace on Wheels video .  This is India's first and most celebrated cruise train, voted as the world's 4th best luxury train by Condé Nast Traveller magazine.  All suites feature private shower & spotlessly clean toilet, TV & CD player, and the train's two elegant restaurant cars offer both Indian and international cuisine.

Prices range from $2,750 for a 7-night 8-day tour around key cities in Rajasthan such as Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur & Jodhpur with all meals, off-train tours and on-board accommodation included. 

You can book the Palace on Wheels through recommended train holiday specialist Railbookers who can also arrange flights, hotels and other Indian trains for you.

If you'd prefer to use the Palace on Wheels on an escorted tour with friendly group of travellers and a professional tour guide are available from Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com , in the UK call 01904 527 120).

Other luxury cruise trains

The Palace on Wheels is no longer the only cruise train in India, and it's not even the best.  Others have sprung up, though prices are sky-high.  Be warned that most of these companies quote a rate per night, not for the whole tour!

Maharaja's Express , see www.the-maharajas.com - See the Maharaja's Express video .  Runs various 3 or 7 night tours from Delhi back to Delhi or between Delhi & Mumbai, via places such as Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Khajuraho.  From $3,580 per person.  This train is run by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), originally as a joint venture with Cox & KIngs.  Gets very positive feedback, 'ten out of ten' from one correspondent.  You can now book the Maharaja's Express through train holiday specialist www.railbookers.co.uk .

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels , www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com - See the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels video .  Offers 8-day (7-night) itineraries with weekly departures from Delhi back to Delhi, stopping at Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Jaipur, Khajuraho & Varanasi.  From around $4,130 per person for two people sharing, $5,775 single occupancy for the least expensive suites.  Has also had great feedback, and can also be booked through www.railbookers.co.uk .

Golden Chariot , www.goldenchariot.org - see the Golden Chariot video .  A luxury train offering weekly departures from Bangalore for a week-long tour to Goa & southern India.

Deccan Odyssey , www.deccan-odyssey-india.com - see the Deccan Odyssey video .  A luxury train offering weekly departures from Mumbai for a week-long tour to Goa, Pune, and the caves at Ajanta & Ellora.

Indian Maharaja , www.theindianmaharaja.co.in .  Offers 8-day 7-night 'land cruises' between Delhi & Mumbai in either direction on various dates between October & April, with stopovers & tours at Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ellora & Ajanta Caves, starting at around $4,095 per person for two people sharing or from $5,229 single occupancy.

These trains can also be arranged through Railbookers.  On their website, select 'Private trains'.

Inclusive luxury train escorted tours

If you'd like a deluxe train-based holiday to India, but would like to do this as part of an organised tour, Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com ) is a well-known company offering inclusive upmarket escorted tours to India, including the Palace on Wheels or a number of other special Indian 'cruise trains', five star hotels plus flights to/from the UK.  There are a number of different tours available, departing on a range of dates throughout the year.  Check the holiday details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form .  Seat61 gets some commission to help support the site if you book your holiday through this link and phone number.

International trains, buses & ferries

There are international trains to Pakistan & Bangladesh, and buses to Nepal.  Here's a quick summary:

Delhi - Amritsar - Lahore, Pakistan

Take a train from Delhi to Amritsar, there are lots to choose from.  See www.indianrail.gov.in for times & fares. 

Take a bus or taxi the 26km from Amritsar to the India/Pakistan frontier at Atari.  Walk through the border posts to Wagah on the Pakistani side.  You may want to hang around Wagah to see the spectacular ceremony at sunset when the border closes.  Indian and Pakistani guards try to outdo each other with their performances, watched by Indians and Pakistani crowds!

Take another bus or taxi the remaining 20km to Lahore.  Allow plenty of time for this deceptively short journey. 

There used to be a cross-border train, but tension in Kashmir means all India-Pakistan trains are suspended at the moment.

Delhi - Jodhpur - Karachi, Pakistan

A weekly international train called the Thar Express started in February 2006 from Jodhpur to Karachi via the border at Munabao.  But it's currently suspended.

Eastbound:   The Thar Express leaves Karachi every Friday at 23:00, arriving at 'Zero Point' on the Pakistan/India frontier at around 08:00 next morning.  After customs checks, the train goes forward to Munabao on the Indian side, arriving around 11:00.The Indian train departs Munabao at 19:00 after customs formalities, arriving Jodhpur (Bhagat Ki Kothi station) at 23:50 Saturday.

Westbound:   The Thar Express leaves Jodhpur (Bhagat Ki Kothi station, about 4km from the main station) every Saturday morning at 01:00 arriving Munabao at 07:00, leaving Munabao at around 14:30 on Saturdays, reaching Karachi at 02:15 on Sunday morning. 

The sleeper fare from Jodhpur to Munabao/zero point is about Rs170, and from Munabao/zero point to Karachi is about Rs230.  No more information is yet available, but feedback would be appreciated!  The train has one sleeping-car and several economy cars.

Update :  Tension in Kashmir means all India-Pakistan trains are suspended at the moment.

Delhi to Kathmandu, Nepal

It's quite easy, cheap, and an adventure to do this journey overland.  You take an overnight train from New Delhi to Gorakpur, then a bus.  For details, see the Nepal page .

Kolkata to Dhaka, Bangladesh

A new direct train from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Dhaka started in April 2008, see the Bangladesh page .

India to Sri Lanka by ferry

After many years of being cut off from each other (with at least one short-lived attempt to start a ferry service in 2011), a new ferry service started in late 2023, linking Nagapattinam (mainland India) with Kankesanthurai (on Sri Lanka, near Jaffna).

The fast ferry Cheriyapani sails from Nagapattinam (India)  at 07:00 arriving Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) at 11:00.

She sails from Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) at 13:30 arriving Kankesanthurai (India) at 17:00.

Crossing time 3 hours for the 60 nautical miles.  Service will be suspended during the monsoon season in November-December.

Fare around 8,000 Indian rupees, luggage allowance 40 Kg.

Online booking will be available starting in January 2024, website not yet known.  Until then, call +91 978 987 9971 at least 24 hours in advance. You will be required to send a copy of your passport and visa details via WhatsApp to confirm the booking.

Be careful with e-visas when using this ferry, they will not initially be accepted at these entry points, but may be in future.

India to Burma (Myanmar)

The India/Burma border is closed to foreigners.  It is not possible to travel to Burma overland from India.  For train and river steamer service within Burma, see the Burma page .

India to China

The direct route from India into China is difficult and mountainous, there are no trains, you need some serious permits to be in that part of India, and most if not all border crossings are closed to foreigners.  If you wish to travel this way, do your research before attempting it! 

For most practical purposes, you are better off going from India to Kathmandu in Nepal ( see the Nepal page ), then taking an organised tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet ( see the Nepal page ), then a train to Beijing.  For train service within China, including Lhasa to Beijing, see the China page .

Europe to India overland

Europe to india via istanbul, iran, pakistan.

It's possible to travel from Europe to India overland by train and bus via Turkey, Iran & Pakistan, along what in the 1960s & 70s was the hippy train.  However, these days there are serious security problems affecting this route in Turkey, SE Iran & Pakistan.  If you are foolhardy enough to brave these, it takes a minimum of 2-3 weeks and you should consider it as an adventure or expedition rather than a routine way to travel there. 

Administratively, the main issue is getting an tourist visa for Iran - see the London to Iran page for agencies to contact to get one.  Finally, there are major security issues in southeast Iran to be aware of - see the official travel advice for Iran and Pakistan at the British Foreign Office website, www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice .  If you are still interested, see the Europe to India overland page .  I'd suggest planning the trip out carefully before you start to book anything - this may help:  How to plan an itinerary & budget .

Europe to India via Moscow, the Trans-Siberian Railway, Beijing & Lhasa

A safer though somewhat round-about way is London to Moscow by Eurostar and onward trains to Moscow (2 nights, £300, daily departures), Moscow to Beijing via the Trans-Siberian Railway (6 or 7 nights, £500, two per week), Beijing to Lhasa by train (2 nights, £100, daily), then an organised tour by bus from Lhasa to Nepal (7 nights, maybe $400), then bus and train to Delhi .  Again, you may find this helpful:  How to plan an itinerary & budget .  Trains to Russia are suspended due to Covid-19 and now sanctions .

Hotels in India

Personal hotel recommendations, tripadvisor hotel reviews.

www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.  It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.

Flights to India

Overland travel by train around India is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But if you need a long-haul flight to reach India in the first place.

1)  Check flight prices at Opodo, www.opodo.com

2)  use skyscanner to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines.

3)  Lounge passes

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think!  See www.loungepass.com

For independent travel, the best guidebook to take is either the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide .  I gave Sarah the Lonely Planet and Karen the Rough Guide and we road-tested both of them head-to-head across India.  The result was a tie, with similarly excellent levels of both practical travel information and historical and cultural background.  I personally prefer the Lonely Planet, but Karen preferred the Rough Guide.  Just make sure you take one of these two guides with you..!  If you buy anything at Amazon through these links, Seat61.com gets a small commission to help support the site.

Buy Lonely Planet India at Amazon.co.uk    Buy Rough Guide India at Amazon.co.uk

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Also for your reading list

Travel insurance & other tips, always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com .

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Indian Rail Transport Day 2024: First train to longest route, 5 facts about Indian Railways

From north to south and east to west, indian railways has a route length of 68,426 km..

• The Indian Railway Network is the world’s fourth largest rail network with a total route length of 68,426 km approx.
• The newly launched Vande Bharat Express holds the title of the fastest train in India with a top speed of 180 km/h, whereas the slowest train in India has a speed of only 10km/h. It runs from Mettupalayam to Ooty Nilgiri.
• The Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express holds the title of the longest train of Indian Railways. With a running time of 80 hours and 15 minutes. The train covers 4,233 km and runs through eight states.
• India’s tallest Railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge, is located between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. Standing at a height of 359 m, it's also the world’s tallest railway bridge. It's taller than the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
• The New Delhi Railway station has been awarded with the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest Route Relay Interlocking system.

Complete tourist guide to Indian Trains you should read

Last Updated on August 26, 2022 by

Did you know that with more than 8,000 stations across the country and about 121,000 km of rail routes the Indian Rail Network is the fourth extensive rail system in the world? It’s not your fault if after opening the Indian Railways page for the first time, you had a terrible headache and preferred to opt for a bumpy car ride on one of the Indian dusty roads. This guide will help you to understand the Indian railways step by step! Let’s start!

Table of Contents

Indian railways step by step

Like everything in India, also the Railways website is messy, overwritten and with scammer bans behind the corner. Last year, I was exactly in your position and when I was planning my trip from New Delhi to Agra I had in front of me two choices: booking a ride with a private taxi costing no less than £60-80 for two people or learning how to book a, way much cheaper, train ticket from abroad. Once you get how the system works, it is not difficult, but it definitely try your patience.

Why I have to travel by train in India?

Lonely Planet states that ” Travelling on an Indian train is a reason to travel all by itself “. This cannot be truer because travelling by train in India can be considered an essential way of experiencing Indian culture. Millions of Indians travel by train every day. In fact, the railway system covers almost the whole country and despite chaotic, it is more reliable than what it appears from a distorted western perspective. There are two basic misconceptions about travel in India by train. The first is that all Indian looks like the one in the photo below…

I still have friends who are convinced I was actually travelling sat on the roof of an Indian train. They simply can’t believe that I never seen anything like this in India, even in the smallest place I visited. The second misconception is that trains in India are unsafe because of Indian people travelling with you.

Reasons why to travel by train in India

FALSE! Indian trains are generally safe, most of the people travelling with you are trying to go to work/reach their families, and their intention is not to harm tourists in any way. It’s true also that if you are travelling in the lower classes (especially at night), I would not recommend leaving your luggage alone (but I would not leave my luggage alone in any other train in the world). Keeping in mind this, there are definitively more advantages than disadvantages in travelling by train.

It’s safe, cheap and relaxing

Firstly, because it’s cheaper than going with a taxi. A first class ticket from Delhi to Agra will not cost you more than £20. A reliable pre-paid cab will cost you £60-80. There are other much cheaper cabs to hire locally, but their reliability is not granted and if you are a first time visitor, I would not recommend them. Secondly, it’s FASTER! A journey by car that would take 4/5 hours may take 2 travelling by train! This will reduce greatly your travelling time and allows you more hours to spend in sightseeing! Third, it’s way more relaxing than travelling by car. India is chaotic and the continuous horning of every single vehicle on the road it’s much more than a necessity for Indian people, it’s a cultural life-style. If for locals and well-travelled tourist, this is OK.

Most of people visiting for the first time India find it unbearable. Imagine travelling by car for 6/7 hours accompanied by that continuous horning! And believe me, this doesn’t stop even in the motorway. Train travelling can give you a little bit of a rest far from the overwhelming Indian chaos and you will be grateful for that after a long journey. Lastly, it’s SAFER! The Indian road safety report of 2018 states than more than ONE MILLION people were killed in car accidents last year.

To be honest, after having seen people driving in the wrong direction in the Indian motorway and seen my driver watching a TV series while driving me and Alessio from Mumbai to Pune, this is not a surprise. In my twenty days in India, I’ve been involved in one minor crash in Jaipur and it was totally fault of my driver. Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to travel by taxi for short distances but if you have to move between distant cities, train travelling is the safest way. In the end, is better safe than sorry!

Train classes and type of trains

Train classes in India are much more complex than westerners train ones, which generally distinguish between first and economy class. In fact, there are 8 classes on Indian trains of which price is accorded to the quality of the service you will receive on board and the type of coach/seat you choose. When booking your class, this will appear with the two/three acronyms and numbers e.g. AC1/AC2 etc. To know the meaning of these acronyms, read below!

Train classes on Indian trains

• AC Executive chair class (EC) This type of class is not present on every train but you can find it on high speed trains like the Shatabdi Express. Executives and tourists commonly use this. For this reason, booking in advance is very recommended. Food served on board of the train is included in the price and you have the possibility to choose between meat and vegetarian dishes.
• AC Chair class (CC)  Similar to the AC EC, the AC CC class can be found in high-speed trains and has comfortable seats in a air conditioned coach. However, food is not included.
• FC First Class First Class no longer exists in Indian trains, replaced mostly by AC1 coaches. However, if you find the abbreviation FC this means that you will get a first class ticket in a non-air-conditioned coach.
• Sleeper Class (SL ) Sleeper Class can be found in trains covering long distances. There is no air conditioning but ventilation is granted by fans and windows open. Mattress are quite rough so it is suggested to bring a sleeper bag.
• Air-conditioned first class (AC1 or 1A) This is usually found in trains covering long distances and used by Indian businessmen. It is considered a comfortable class for travelling and seats are organised in 2 and 4 berths and sleeper section.
• Air-conditioned 2-tier (AC2 or 2A) This class is a cheaper version of the AC1. It is still considered a comfortable way of travelling and used mostly by families. You can use berths also as sleeper bunks for longer distances. These are provided with curtains for having a bit of privacy. Two tier indicates the number of bunks for each section of the row.
• Air-conditioned 3-tier (AC3 or 3A) Is more crowded than AC2 because each bay has 3 tiers (up, lower and middle). Curtains are not provided to grant you privacy but tickets are cheaper.
• 2nd class seats (2S)  Coaches are here divided in reserved and not reserved sections. These are generally more crowded than other classes is not recommended for longer journeys because seats are not padded and generally made of wood or plastic.

Type of Trains in India

Because there are more than 20 different types of trains in India but it’s likely you wont use 90% of those, listed below you will find only the ones you are more likely to book during your journey to across India.

• Tejas Express It has been introduced just two years ago and it’s the most similar to our western trains you will find in India. It’s a semi high speed full AC train featuring braille displays, LED TV for each passenger with phone sockets, WiFi and food services. Tickets are about 30% more expensive than the Shatabati fares and at the moment the train covers only the following routes: – Mumbai CST – Karmali Tejas Express – New Delhi – Chandigarh Tejas Express

An extention of the route in Chennai and Lucknow is planned for the upcoming years.

• Shatabdi Express is one of the most famous train lines in India and it is usually make a day round trip. Tourists use mostly this route (and this is the one I used as well). This is the Bhopal Shatabdi Express (train number 12001/12002) going from New Delhi to Agra in just two hours. The train is quite fast (the second faster in India) and the first class is comfy and safe. Not comparable to our first classes but I would say a good economy on our trains.
• Rajdhani Express are those trains that connect the Indian main capital to the minor state capitals (E.g. Mumbai-New Delhi). They are air conditioned and considered the most fast trains in India.
• Duronto Express are a category of non-stop long distance trains connecting India’s major state capitals. They are very fast and stop only for technical checks. A most known one is the 12239/12240 Jaipur Duronto Express.
• Suburban rail and Metro connect cites central business districts to their suburbs. You can find these in major cities like New Delhi, Kolkata or Mumbai. They usually stop at every station, and have unreserved seating.
• Mountain railways if you are looking for more adventure and a breathtaking scenery, these trains are the most popular ones and considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most popular ones there is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway r unning between between Siliguri and Darjeeling at the highest elevation of 2,300 mt.
• Luxury trains t here is a variety of luxury trains in India designed exclusively for tourists. These follow itineraries of 7/10 days and include accommodation, tours, food and sometimes even a on board spa! They are usually quite expensive and price ranges from US$ 4,550 to US$ 6,930 for two people. The most known ones are Palace on Wheels, the Deccan Odissey and the Maharajas’ Express . I haven’t personally tried any of these luxury trains but would love to experience them once!

Finding the right timetable for your trip

Giving the high number of trains, the timetable may look quite confusing. A good system to find your train timetable and your platform at the station is to remember the name, number and route of the train. Example, if you are going to Mumbai you have to look for the number 12952  route NEW DELHI – MUMBAI CENTRAL and type of train Rajdhani Express.  Online, you can check your timetable in these two different websites: Indian Rail, by searching your destination and date. This will show you different trains and times, to check yours you can search it by number or type of train. You will also have a preview of the classes that you can book on a later moment.

Maps of India provides a reliable train time table according to the type of train. If you click on the number of the train, this will show you all the stops the train will make with the expected time of arrival/departure till destination.

Where/when/how do I have to book my tickets?

Before proceeding to book your train tickets, let me explain you what different types of ticket you may find while booking. As for the train classes, also the ticket types are listed per acronyms.

Type of Tickets on Indian Trains

• CNF means “confirmed”  this means that you made it and your seat has been reserved!
• RAC means “reservation against cancellation”. This type of ticket activates when all the reservable seats on the train are fully booked. The system will put you automatically in a Waiting List (WL) and you can still travel with that train but if you don’t get any reservation, you have to search for an unreserved seat. If someone cancels his booking you might be promoted to CNF and get a seat on a specific coach. If the waiting list is very long and you are not accommodated a place your ticket will be refunded.
• Tatkal (CK) means “Immediate” these are generally last-minute tickets for emergency departures. These tickets can’t be cancelled or refunded.
• Tourist Quota Tickets some trains (generally the most popular routes) reserve some tickets to tourists. They are usually sold very fast and it is advisable to book them well in advance. I personally used the tourist quota tickets and booked my train ride about three months in advance.

When to book a ticket for a train trip in India

Now that you know how distinguish the type of tickets, it’s time to book! If you follow these steps one by one you can make it! First one-million-dollars problem. When do I have to book my train tickets? During high season (Nov-Mar) tickets on EC and AC1 sell fast. If you want to travel on a reserved seat on one of those coaches, my advice is to book as soon as you know your itinerary. Otherwise you may be disappointed. Generally, you can book tickets up to 120 days in advance.

Where to book train tickets in India

Where do I have to book my tickets?  Essentially, there are three ways to book your tickets. Via a travel agent (who will ask you for a commission), in person and online.

• In person. If you are on the go and want to buy a ticket directly at the station check www.indianrail.gov.in for a list of International Tourist Bureaux selling tickets to foreign visitors at the station. These are generally based in big cities like Agra, Delhi or Mumbai but there are possibly other offices around India. Be sure to get to the right office and don’t listen to anyone telling you it’s closed (they are scammers! we will talk about this below). At the counter they will ask for your Visa and Passport. Don’t forget to prepare them! Furthermore, you can only pay in cash! Some offices accept also foreign currencies like Sterling or Dollar but do research prior to bring other type of money.
• Online booking.  You can book your tickets via three different websites. These are Indian Railways , Clear Trip and Make my Trip . I have personally booked my tickets via the Indian Railways website because Make my Trip was asking me an indian telephone number to confirm my booking and at the time I did not have it! In any case, to use Make my Trip you have to register your details with the IRCT (indian railways), and it is much more straightforward to book the tickets with them!

How to book India train tickets online

If you follow the steps below, booking your online train ticket with IRCT (Indian Railways) will be very easy!

First Step – Registration

Go to the IRCT webpage. This will look like the picture below. Before booking your tickets, you will need to register your details on the “Register” page. Here you will be asked many questions to confirm your identity.

Be patient at this stage of registration. I had some troubles while registering my details and I had to fill the page at least three times but in the end, it did work! Once you completed your registration, you will receive an email with your login details like the one below. This will tell you to login and inform you that for international users there is a registration fee to pay that will confirm your email and mobile number.

Second step – Verify your number and email.

Login with your details via the email you received. The website will ask you now to verify your mobile phone and email. The verification of your mobile phone comes via the OTP (One time password) and the payment of a small fee ( Rs. 100 + GST. / £1,50 circa). You will receive the OTP via sms on the phone and have to insert a 6 digit number in the space suggested on the IRCT page.

Once you have done with the mobile phone and the fee payment, the website will ask you to verify your email with the same method. You will receive an OTP password in your email and you have to insert the six-digit number in the space provided.

Once you insert your OTP on the box you’re done! Congratulation, you are now fully registered on the Indian Railway system and able to book your tickets online! Eureka!

Third step – Book your tickets

Now that you have everything all set up, it’s time to book your journey! First, you have to login into your account. The system is a bit annoying because every time you login it asks you for a OTP or a screen temporary password. Don’t get mad if you can’t login the first time, it’s the system not you!

Once you have completed your login, you will see again the initial screen that needs to be filled with your travel request. Search for your destination and date (you can eventually choose your class if you already know it, otherwise you can choose it later). As example for you, I choose a hypothetical New Delhi-Agra trip (which I actually tried by the way!). Once you choose your destination, you will see the screen (pictured below) giving you the following main information: type of class and train you can choose to display on your selection (black box), type of train you can book (red box) and what class is available (yellow box), duration of the journey (blue circle) and type of travel with departure and arrival time (e.g. morning train 6.10-8.10 as shown on grey box).

If you want to check the price of your train, click the blue box on the right and you will see more details about the train selected. Don’t panic when you see what looks like a huge amount of rupees for a ticket. This price converted into your local currency is actually very cheap. For example, 1,000 Rs. are about £11/15$.

If you are happy with the price, class and train for your destination you can proceed to the booking by clicking the box “book now” on the available time and date. This will lead you to the main booking page consisting of three main steps. On the first one, you have to insert your (and all your companions) ID details and choose what type of dish you prefer (if this is included in your ticket). If you are not Indian, you must provide your passport number. On the right of your screen you will continue to see the main details of your train ride.

Once you have inserted all your details you will be directed to the second step, which is checking that everything you inserted is correct. At this stage of the booking, you can still amend your information if you made any mistake.

Fourth step – Payment

If you are happy with your selection and details, you can proceed to the last step, which is payment! On the payment page, you will find many options that might create confusion if you are a tourist because the payment page is not properly tourist-friendly. Indeed, the Indian Railways accept different methods of payment but the only one YOU can use as a tourist is the one under the category “international cards” this option is hidden under the voice MULTIPLE PAYMENT SERVICE . Ignore all the other options because in the end they accept only Indian debit/credit cards. So, click “multiple payment service” and then INTERNATIONAL CARDS (powered by Atom).

I haven’t tried the other five options in addition to International cards, so I can’t guarantee they work well. Once you will click the Int. card option you will be directed in the actual payment page where you have to insert your credit card details. You can choose to pay in rupees or in your own currency (this option depends on the card you are using) and the process is quick and simple!

Congratulation!!! You’ve made it!! You are officially booked on an Indian train journey! At this point, check your email because you should have received your e-ticket that should look more or less like mine below! Don’t forget to print it out and keep it with you during your journey!

Fifth step – At the station, boarding the train

It’s time to depart! Check carefully all the information about your train on the ticket especially about your place/berth/coach. If you are travelling on a long-distance train, your name will be printed out on a list placed out at the train station ticket office (2h before) and on the outside of the train before departure. Here you will find the confirmation of your name and coach (eg. Name- AC1 coach 2 seat/berth etc.).

Actually, I discovered that this system is in use also on short-distance trains. In fact, on the morning of our departure, I found Alessio name and mine on the door of our coach. You must take your ticket and passport with you. A few minutes after departure, an inspector will check that all the details on your passport correspond to his own list (similar to the one published outside the train). Now you can relax and enjoy your journey!

I have to say I was quite satisfied with our train experience in India. The train was clean and in good conditions. We booked on the Executive class, which more or less is like our second class but with a much nicer service! Immediately after boarding we were provided with two bottles of water of 1L each and just ten minutes after leaving we were already been served breakfast! This came in two parts. A first part with tea/coffee, biscuits, marmalade, milk, bread and even cereals! A second part (after about half an hour ride) with some traditional Indian dishes, juice and chapati! What a way to start the morning! Our trip was just a short 2h ride but I was very happy about it!

Issues and troubleshooting while booking.

Recently, the Indian Railways website was renovated with a much more friendly user facade. In fact, it is much simpler to use for a tourist compared to just one year ago. I personally did not have any problems while booking my tickets and verifying my details. However, there might be some issues due to their system that you can face at the time of booking. These are generally not receiving the OTP password to verify your number/email.

Problems are due to their system, so the only solution is continue to try until you get it (concerning your email, you may try to verify different emails and edit later your details from your account). Another error you might face is the “login error”. Despite typing the correct credentials, the system does not recognise them. Once again, persevere! It is their fault not yours, so after two-three attempts you should login successfully! If you have issue during your credit card transaction, this might be your bank that does not approve a foreign transaction. You can verify this by calling their call centre.

Bookings via Makemytrip and Cleartrip

Many users prefer to book their tickets throughout Makemytrip and Cleartrip. I personally preferred to book directly with Indian Railways as I don’t like much to proceed with third companies when I have a direct option. Furthermore, even if you want to book with these two companies you MUST register your ID details with Indian Railways anyway (Makemytrip will ask these before booking the tickets) so, to me there is no point in doing all the hard job and switch site when it comes to the easiest part! If you still want to book with these companies, you have first to register and verify an account with IRCT (see Step 1 below), second you have to create a second account with their company and only at the end you can proceed with the booking on their page.

Pro: both websites looks much more tourist-friendly and simple to use after the registration. You can book also other types of transportation, including taxis. Cons: first , you have to register with IRCT anyway so it is much more straightforward to book with them. Second, when I tried to use makemytrip last year it did not allow me to book without an Indian phone number, so after a couple of trials I gave up! Furthermore, it looks like they don’t accept foreign credit cards, although I couldn’t verify this personally and things change very quickly. Third, Cleartrip charges additional booking fees you will not find on IRCT. These are usually $0,50 in addition to the ticket price plus a 1.8% credit card fee.

Watch out! Scams at the train stations (and how to avoid them).

India is, unfortunately, famous also for the great number of scams you may encounter while on the road. Stations (especially big ones) are particularly sensitive to frauds and it would be really sad if your well-planned trip, possibly the trip you are dreaming for an entire life, ends up badly because of a scam. We almost got scammed at the New Delhi station and believe me, is not something I wish to anyone. There are various type of scammers at the station. However, the most popular is the fake police man/army man, which is the one I personally encountered.

Before my trip, I read so much about possible scammers, the way they acted and where to find them. I felt smart and well prepared, but reality is another thing. Especially if you travel at early morning/late night when you are not at the top of your faculties and a bit sleepy. This was my experience. Little parenthesis, Indians are obsessed with security. You’ll pass security checks in “airport style” everywhere, even to enter shops at the mall. Stations are, of course, no exception. Closed parenthesis.

The “your train is cancelled” scam

It was around 5.15 in the morning and our train to Agra was at six (it was still very dark outside). We reached the station well in time taking in consideration also that we did not know where to go or what to do precisely. After having spotted the security checks in one corner outside of the main gate, we knew we were on the right entrance.

We approached the security line. When it was our turn to pass the metal detector and scan the baggage, the guy looking like a police officer (who was sitting next to the bag scanner) with an evident badge attached on his jacket, asked for our tickets and passports.

It doesn’t sound too strange to me as he looked like part of the security team and he was wearing a uniform with a badge. However, I had anyway a red flag alert on in my mind and I gave him just the train tickets (of which I had a copy) trying to take time to “find” the passports. He did not wait too much time after receiving the tickets to state that our train was cancelled that morning and we couldn’t get inside the station because of this reason. Here was the moment I immediately knew he was a scammer!

He did not want to return us our tickets so we started discussing very loudly in front of the security line and I threatened him to call the police in that exact moment. I still don’t remember how, but I was able to take my tickets off his hands and he was still persistently continuing to say that our train was not departing that morning saying “go inside and you’ll see”. We genuinely sent him to hell and continued to the security without problem. Of course, our train was there as expected.

Things that surprised me a lot about this event were: first, the actual security people were watching the scene and did nothing despite knowing exactly what was happening. Second, people (including other French tourists who departed with us from the same hotel) did nothing despite hearing what was happening and possibly (if true) involving them as well. Thanks guys, so nice from you.

How we got out of the scam

Third, no actual police officers were around in or outside the station at that time! So, be extremely careful and take your guard high ALL THE TIME. Never give someone (despite officially looking) your passport or tickets. I had a copy of the tickets for this reason. Don’t trust anyone stating your train is burned, delayed, cancelled or anything else (same thing about hotels! Don’t trust anyone saying your hotel is closed etc.). Moreover, save the police number and your embassy number (just for the very bad cases). We got misled by the guy’s uniform and his position in the security line! In the end, we were lucky. However, I was also sure that our train wasn’t cancelled because I checked on the website before going! Trains are cancelled only in case of technical faults or bad weather conditions (e.g. flooding or heavy fog).

Other types of scams

What happened to us is not the only fraud you might face at the station. Watch out also for the fake ticket office and officer (inside the station) and for taxi drivers bringing you purposely to wrong stations/ fake ticket offices in order to force you going by car (with them or some of their friends) to your destination. If you travel at early morning, I warmly recommend making your hotel arranging a taxi for you and don’t go venturing with the first cab you find! Uber is generally safe in India but if you have trouble booking with them because of the network/ data etc. trust your hotel.

Conclusions

And that’s a wrap! If you have read till here and finished this Indian railways guide step by step, first, THANK YOU! Second, it means that you are very determined in getting these train tickets!! So don’t give up and you’ll manage that! I’ll try to keep this page as updated as possible. If there is any big change, you will find it here! For the moment all the info are updated to 24/01/19.

Cheers! Laura

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16 STUNNING Train Routes To Spice Up Your 2024 Travels

Posted: April 18, 2024 | Last updated: April 19, 2024

On track for a great adventure

Long-distance rail travel is intoxicatingly romantic and much more sustainable than flying. But when our lives are so busy, and our time and money so precious, it can sometimes be hard to justify taking the slower, more scenic route. However, these exciting new train journeys for 2024 and beyond might just convince you to give it a try.

From swanky sleepers to dynamic first-of-their-kind engineering feats, click through for the best new and upcoming rail routes to get excited about...

Whoosh from Jakarta to Bandung, Indonesia

Inaugurated in late-2023, Whoosh is Indonesia’s (and Southeast Asia’s) first high-speed train. Finished four years later than originally planned, the new multi-billion-dollar line links the capital of Jakarta to the west Javan city of Bandung in less than an hour. With speeds of around 217 miles per hour (349km/h), Whoosh – a convenient acronym for 'time saving, optimal operation, reliable system' in Indonesian – is powered by electricity and therefore has no direct carbon emissions. Before this, the only way to reach Bandung from Jakarta was a three-hour car journey.

The 86-mile (138km) route is mostly raised and offers seats in three different classes – VIP, first and second. The state-of-the-art trains have been modified to suit the country’s tropical climate, and are also equipped with safety features that can respond to disasters like earthquakes and floods. There are future plans to extend the line further east to Surabaya (around 10 hours by car from Jakarta), as well as introducing a stop at Yogyakarta, where passengers would alight for the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur.

Nightjet from Paris to Berlin

Before December 2023, there had been no direct trains between Paris and Berlin since the 1990s. But now passengers can travel between the two enticing capitals on OBB’s new signature sleeper service, the Nightjet, which currently runs three times a week and calls at Strasbourg and Frankfurt along the way. Clad in striking blue and red, Nightjet’s fleet will be replenished over the course of the next year, bringing the total number of custom-built new trains to 33, offering solo sleeping pods, en-suite compartments, better accessibility and extra storage.

The Paris-Berlin Nightjet will increase its offering later in 2024, when nightly departures begin. But soon this won’t be your only new rail option linking the two cities. SNCF (France’s state railway company) is liaising with Deutsche Bahn over a direct, high-speed TGV connection sometime this year, which will run during day and night, with a total journey time of around seven hours.

New Trenitalia routes, Italy and beyond

The year's rail renaissance continues with Italian national rail operator Trenitalia opening up a plethora of new opportunities. First, its Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) bullet trains now whizz passengers from Rome to the ruined city of Pompeii (pictured), which was buried under volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The service runs every Sunday and on selected public holidays, with the journey from A to B taking less than two hours.

Elsewhere, Trenitalia is in cahoots with Slovenia’s transport services to start a high-speed rail route from Milan (pictured) to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s gorgeously green capital. The two-and-a-half-hour trip between the two cities could open to passengers as soon as April 2024. Later this year, the zippy Frecciarossa trains will also tread through Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, as Trenitalia looks to increase its presence in France and Spain. This will be a boon to travellers crossing the Pyrenees, which has historically been low on rail services.

Tren Maya, Mexico

After partially opening in December 2023, Yucatan’s Tren Maya is set to become fully operational any day now. The rail megaproject, which entered construction in 2020, connects popular Caribbean coast resorts like Tulum and Cancun to culture-crammed cities and ancient archaeological sites like Merida and Palenque (pictured), in the hope of connecting tourists with areas they might not otherwise see. The route in its entirety serves 34 stations in five Mexican states and is divided into seven sections, offering both short and long-distance journeys.

The railway has already caused plenty of controversy. Indigenous leaders and environmental activists have spoken out against deforestation and the perceived briefness of research carried out ahead of construction, but others believe Tren Maya will ultimately help to alleviate poverty in the areas it serves. Whatever your stance, the 904-mile (1,455km) route marks a significant turning point for public transport and rail tourism in Mexico.

Eastern & Oriental Express, Singapore and Malaysia

After pausing operations for a few years due to the pandemic, Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express is triumphantly returning to the tracks of Southeast Asia from February 2024, with a fully refurbished and restyled look. This sister train of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express first entered service in 1993, making its inaugural journey between Bangkok and Singapore. Now, Belmond is launching two new seasonal round-trip itineraries that will depart from Singapore’s Woodlands station and wind through the landscapes of Malaysia.

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The first route, 'Essence of Malaysia: A Gateway into Malay Culture', passes through Kuala Lumpur before passengers switch transport to private boats to visit the islands of Langkawi and Penang. The second, 'Wild Malaysia: Exploring Sights Unseen', takes in the eastern side of the Malaysian peninsula, with stop-offs also at Penang and the Taman Negara National Park, where Sumatran rhinos and tigers roam one of the planet’s oldest tropical rainforests. Belmond hopes to reinstate the E&O's signature Thai presence in due course.

Hokuriku Shinkansen expansion, Japan

From 16 March 2024, travellers will be able to explore more of Japan’s Hokuriku region via one of the country's world-renowned Shinkansen trains. The Hokuriku branch currently runs between Tokyo and Kanazawa, capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, but is being extended this year from Kanazawa to Tsuruga station in Fukui Prefecture. Located along the northwest coast of Honshu, Japan's main island, the Hokuriku region offers delicious seafood, dramatic mountains, castle towns and culture-rich cities for those intrepid enough to veer off the typical tourist trail.

The new Shinkansen route will see the current journey time between Tokyo and Tsuruga slashed by 36 minutes, with its fastest trains taking just two hours and 51 minutes to zoom between the two stations. The extension was due for completion last spring, but higher-than-expected construction costs led to a delay. Ultimately, there are plans to further expand the Hokuriku Shinkansen’s reach beyond Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka station, though construction is yet to commence.

European Sleeper from Brussels to Dresden and Prague

It was one of the most anticipated new arrivals on the rail scene in 2023, and now the European Sleeper – which already links the Belgian and Dutch cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam to Berlin – is preparing for an exciting route extension. From 25 March 2024, the night train will no longer terminate in the German capital, but carry on to Dresden in eastern Germany and then across the Czech border into Prague (pictured).

The new Dresden-Prague leg includes further stops in Germany and Czechia, such as the Saxony spa town of Bad Schandau. At the end of 2023, the European Sleeper also introduced a new stop at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, increasing connections for travellers even further afield. From the train’s Brussels hub, international rail connections via the Channel-hopping Eurostar are a smooth ride. There are three different ticket options for European Sleeper passengers, ranging from budget-friendly reclining seats to convertible couchettes and cosy sleeping compartments (pictured).

Around the World by Luxury Train from Railbookers

This sprawling new itinerary from tour operator Railbookers promises the most unforgettable adventure for train lovers. Calling at more than 20 cities across 13 countries and four continents, the 11-week itinerary sees passengers experience seven of the world’s most lavish trains in one trip: the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada (pictured); the Belmond Royal Scotsman; the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express; the Maharajas' Express in India; the Golden Eagle Danube Express; Rovos Rail in South Africa; and the freshly revived Eastern & Oriental Express.

Departing on 28 August 2024 from Vancouver, the epic overland expedition also includes stays in some of the world’s finest hotels, from the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs to the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace in Budapest (pictured). With accommodation, luggage transfers, flights, excursions and most meals included, it should come as no surprise that all this comes at a cost – with prices starting from around £92,000 ($115,599) per person. Railbookers serves customers in the UK, US, Australia and Canada.

Orient Express La Dolce Vita, Italy

While the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (pictured) is nothing new, it's about to get a very trendy younger sister: the Orient Express La Dolce Vita, created by the Accor hotel group. Slated to hit the rails later in 2024 (a year behind schedule), this new iteration of the historic locomotive is targeted at more design-conscious travellers, swapping out Belle Epoque maximalism for mid-century curves and retro prints. La Dolce Vita's sleek fleet will also sport luxe wood-lined cabins, live music and menus dedicated to sustainable Italian produce. Pre-registration is open now.

As you might expect of the Orient Express dynasty, a trip on La Dolce Vita won't be your average train journey. Offering exquisite service on eight different itineraries that last from one to two nights, the stylish sojourns will sweep through Rome, Venice, Siena (pictured) and the Italian Alps, as well as Portofino, Matera and Sicily (via one of Europe’s last passenger train ferries). Future plans involve increasing the train's reach internationally to Paris, Istanbul and Split in Croatia.

Amtrak from Mobile to New Orleans and wider network upgrade, USA

Expected to start welcoming passengers later this year, a new Amtrak route between Mobile in Alabama and New Orleans in Louisiana will soon cruise along southern America’s gorgeous Gulf Coast (pictured). The train will also stop at four stations in Mississippi: Bay St Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula. It will mark the return of passenger train services to the Gulf Coast for the first time since 2005. While an exact date for the launch is yet to be confirmed, familiarisation trips on the tracks began in 2023.

There’s other exciting Amtrak news while we wait for a date: a shiny new fleet of Acela high-speed trains (pictured) are due to enter service this year. They’ll take over the existing Northeast Corridor route connecting Boston, Providence, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, offering smoother, speedier and more spacious rides. In November 2023, President Joe Biden announced $16 billion (£12.7bn) of funding for more than two dozen projects along this much-travelled line.

Midnight Trains, various

From 2025, there’ll be a new kid on the overnight train block, looking to further upgrade nocturnal rail travel in Europe. Midnight Trains is a French company putting the wheels in motion for several new routes out of Paris. The first service to launch will whisk passengers to Milan and Venice under cover of darkness. Self-described as hotels on rails, Midnight Trains will feature private, en-suite rooms throughout their fleet, with plush bed linen, a library of on-demand films to keep you entertained and top-range food-and-drink amenities.

Everything, from the point of booking to when you step off the train, will be managed through a bespoke app that allows you to personalise your journey. As well as the inaugural Paris-Milan-Venice route, Midnight Trains is also planning to seamlessly connect cities such as Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Porto and Madrid to the French capital (pictured). When complete, this new network will comprise more than 10 destinations across the continent.

European Sleeper from Amsterdam to Barcelona

Fans of the European Sleeper will be delighted to know that it will soon be adding another route to its roster – connecting Amsterdam to the buzzing Catalonian city of Barcelona. You’ll have to wait a little longer for this one, with the service not set to begin until spring 2025. Expect modern trappings such as wifi and charging points, as well as complimentary breakfast included with sleeper and couchette bookings (as with the existing run out of Brussels).

The proposed route between Amsterdam and Barcelona (pictured) includes stops in Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Figueres and Girona, though it is not yet known how long the complete end-to-end journey will be. One thing we can say for certain, though, is that the views from your window will span the evolving scenery of at least four countries, and it'll be a wonder if you manage to steal any sleep at all.

Rail Baltica, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

They've been the missing piece in the European railway puzzle for a long time, but now – gradually – the Baltic states are at last getting connected with speedy train services. Rail Baltica is one of the region's largest ever infrastructure projects, and will link cities like Warsaw, Vilnius, Kaunas, Riga and Tallinn (as well as Helsinki indirectly and Berlin by night train) when the 541-mile (870km) route is completed in 2030. The idea has been more than 30 years in the making, since the former Soviet Union countries gained independence in the 1990s.

Eventually replacing the long-distance buses and unsustainable flights that travellers currently rely on to hop between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Rail Baltica will be a quiet, fully electric fleet with a colour scheme designed to reflect the sun, sea and sand of the Baltic Coast. While there’s still a long way to go before we can enjoy this particular route in its entirety, there are hopes that some sections will be ready to transport passengers by 2028.

New high-speed service from Porto and Lisbon to Vigo

In November 2022, the vision for an advanced high-speed rail link between the Portuguese cities of Porto (pictured) and Lisbon and Vigo in Galicia, northwest Spain, was laid out by the Portuguese government. While the existing fast service between the country's capital and second cities takes just under three hours, this new proposal could see the journey time more than halved to one hour and 15 minutes. Extending the route to Vigo will allow passengers to travel the length of Iberia's Atlantic coast at speeds of around 186 miles per hour (300km/h).

Construction on the Porto-Lisbon-Vigo route is set to start this year, but won't be completed until the early 2030s. This is all part of a wider infrastructure overhaul to Portugal's rail network, which will also include new local district connections and a crossing over the Tagus river (pictured), ultimately creating high-speed links from 10 of the country's main cities. In its entirety, the project is estimated to be completed by 2050.

African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network, various

Taking inspiration from the Al Boraq (pictured) – Africa's first express train, which runs along the coast of Morocco from Tangier to Casablanca – the African Union is in the process of laying the groundwork for a speedy, continent-wide rail system of epic proportions. Known as the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network, the megaproject is supposed to open in its first phase by 2033, with more connections to be added by 2063.

Three pilot schemes have now been selected: the first routes to open will be Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Kigali in Rwanda; Kampala in Uganda (pictured) to Bujumbura in Burundi; and Pretoria in South Africa to Walvis Bay in Namibia, via Botswana's capital Gaborone. The ultimate aim is to provide Africa’s 16 landlocked countries with better access to major ports and neighbouring nations, increasing connectivity and economic development across the continent.

Underwater train from the UAE to India

It was first mentioned in theory back in 2018, but now it looks like the United Arab Emirates’ plans to build an undersea railway to India might be gathering steam. The bold project could connect the shimmering metropolis of Dubai with bustling Mumbai (pictured) in a matter of minutes, with proposed speeds of up to 621 miles per hour (1,000km/h). Provisionally named the Dubai-India Hyperloop, it’s set to push the boundaries of innovation beyond anything the UAE has accomplished so far.

It may sound like an audacious concept, but at its heart it's just a variation of what the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France has been doing since 1994. No timeline has yet been given for the Dubai-India Hyperloop, but we certainly shouldn’t expect it any time soon. Conceiving and creating the world’s fastest land-based public transport – and then putting it in a large tunnel – will be no mean feat.

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