How to travel in India by train
In figures, the Indian railways stations translate into 7500 connected to a networks that is 65,000 kilometers long. Last year, according to a study, 25 million passengers traveled daily by train in India, out of a total of 9 billion annually. Since 1853, Indian Railways are transporting passengers along and across the country on special routes to Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh - which gives them a comfortable place among the largest railway networks in the world.
The face of Indian luxury train
Every self respecting traveler must be, at least once, in the Golden Triangle area, and get there with what the Indians call the " Palace on Wheels". The Palace on Wheels is a luxury train that runs from New Delhi to Rajasthan and finally to the Taj Mahal in Agra. Each car has four luxury saloons, each of them having the name and mark of the old Rajput states: Alwar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Dungargarh, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota, Sirohi and Udaipur. A odyssey of the senses takes you from the berth of a Maharaja among the forts, desert, wilderness and the life paradox of a mysterious realm.
If you want to see India more from the south, you can board from Victoria Terminus in Mumbai, on the Deccan Odyssey, which will take you from the capital, Bolly, to the beaches of Goa or Aurangabad, to the Ajanta and Ellora caves. While waiting for the next station, you can enjoy the sauna, a business center, a bar and two restaurants serving the most varied kinds of international and local dishes. And a bottle of wine in each cabin, from the house.
There is also Maharaja Express, voted in 2012 as the most luxurious train in the world (World Travel Awards ), adorned with marble, silver and Swarovski crystals. You can chose between several destinations, among which the most impressive is by far the one which starts from Delhi to Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Khajuraho and Varanasi.
How many classes have you train and how to buy a ticket right
If you plan to travel on longer distances you must make your reservation early. This means at least one week before your departure. To buy a ticket and get on the train after that is completely impossible. Unless you want to experience the cheapest, agonizing and interminable travel.
Speaking of classes, most Indian Railways trains for long distances usually present a complicated seat classification that requires patience from a foreign passenger.
1A - First Class AC: first class, usually one car with three bunks of four seats. Air conditioning and clean upholstery. Beds, fresh sheets and sockets .
2A - AC -Two tier: second class, without bunks, with 4 beds at the window and two on the hallway. Air conditioning, beds and sheets included.
3A - AC three tier: the third class, without bunks, with 6 beds at the window and two on the hallway.
At the 3 air-conditioned classes, toilets are identical: Indian style, toilet paper and soap.
The following two classes are among the favorites of local commuters:
Sleeper: 6 beds on the window and two on the hallway, the fans and windows are stuck and respecting Murphy's laws: when it rains they won't close and when when you choke they won't open.
Unreserved: means the cheapest way to travel by train. Wooden benches and all passengers that can physically fit in: standing, walking, one over the other, however inside the train. Together until the final destination .
Tickets for the first three classes can be booked three months before the travel date, but that's not as simple as it seems. First you need to go to the booking counter at the railway station where you must fill in a form with your details and your travel details (path, class, train name), you give in the document and then find out whether there are seats available.
If there are no places available at the AC classes, you can get an unreserved ticket at a minimum price that will still allow you to get on the train, with the lot. The controller can offer chargeable places if in the meantime there are some canceled tickets. You must realize that you must be luckier than the winner of 6 of 49 for this to happen.
There is an intermediate solution as well for buying a place: TATKAL tickets (in free translation - immediate or urgent). TATKAL ticket booking counter opens out for an hour (10- 11am), the day before the departure. It costs a few hundred rupees extra, but it's a smart move if you do not have a fixed itinerary.
In addition, most major stations (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai) have a special counter for the foreign tourists, located on the first floor of the station, from where you can buy your tickets, thus avoiding flock queues at counters where the numerous travelers are crowding.
When you get on the train is the most interesting part:
The infamous trip through India! How much ink, sweat, tears and blood have probably flowed to describe this experience! There is nothing on earth more concrete than this introductory experience into the Indian culture. A myriad of customs and rituals flood from all sides, from next to you, from the hallway, from the other classes or from the window on your left. You will be treated with a great fuss, furtive glances, sometimes indiscreet questions and ad hoc friends like nowhere else in the world. They'll want to know where you are from, where you're going, your marital, financial and occupational status, religious orientations, family history and so on.
The main occupation of the Indians during the hours in the train is to find as many personal details as possible about their neighbors in the car. India is not the land of personal space, so do not expect to get a foothold on three places at noon: where there are 3, there sure is there room for one more. Or two.
You will also have the opportunity to learn quickly how to eat without cutlery, using only your right hand. Your department colleagues will be happy to guide you in this regard. That is until around 10 pm, when the legs loosen up and the night concert begins. It would be useful to have an ipod or even earplugs with you. The show begins with the appearance of the infamous hijra (third sex, hermaphrodites or prostitutes) and continues with deformed and persistent beggars. In the second part, the sadhu nomads appear (a Hindu kind of monks) with their orange robes.
