India by Train
Many tourists fly around in India not knowing the pleasures of Train travel in India. For example you could leave Delhi late evening and arrive in Mumbai (Bombay) or Kolkata (Calcutta) early morning the next day by the fast, comfortable and air-conditioned Rajdhani Express trains. This is not only cheaper than flying, but you also save a nights hotel expenses. Being a night journey you will not be able to enjoy the sights of India. For this you should do a day train like a Shatabdi Express (the name "Shatabdi" means 'centenary' in Sanskrit and many other Indian languages).
The best way to plan your trip on the great Indian Railway system is to make use of the 2 maps which are linked here
1. Railway Map of India (from official Indian Railways site)
2. Indian Railway Route Map with Train Numbers (from official Indian Railways site)
Alternative links Railway Map of India and Railway Route Number Map
These maps shows the details of the places, routes and the train numbers. With these two maps you will get a good idea of the available trains between the different cities of India and you can plan your trip well in advance and even book your journey online by going to the official Indian Railways website.
Trains are classified according to their average speed of service. The Rajdhani Express trains are the fastest, since they have fewer stops and has the highest priority for right of way. These trains connect the Capital of India, Delhi with the far flung State Capitals, like Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Trivandrum (Kerala), etc.
The Shatabdi Expresses are Inter City fast day trains with AC chair seats.
The Mail and Express Trains are fast trains connecting major cities of India.
Passenger trains in India have different classes for travel. 1st Class Air Conditioned is the highest and then comes the 2 Tier and then 3 Tier Air Conditioned Sleeper classes. The same classes as mentioned before also comes without Air Conditioning and is OK for travel in the winter season especially in Northern India. But in summer it is best to chose the Air Conditioned or AC classes. The AC chair class is offered on the day trains, like the Inter City Shatabdi Express. There are many other classes on Indian trains, but they are not usually considered for travel by Tourists to India.
A great way to do India by Train is to avail of the India Rail Pass or ‘INDRAIL’ pass. You can get an ‘INDRAIL PASS’ valid from a few days up to a maximum of 3 months. With this IndRail pass you can travel everywhere in India - any-time, any-train. The ‘IndRail Pass’ can be bought even before you reach India, or in India from selected agencies. The table below shows you the cost of these passes for unlimited travel for the time the pass is valid. The fares are for adult passengers, children below 12 years are charged 50%. You can get the name of the agencies selling the IndRail pass and the latest rates from http://www.indianrail.gov.in/intert.html . The Fare in US$ for IndRail Pass (as on 30 June 2009) is shown below
From the above table, a 30 day pass will cost US$ 495- for unlimited travel in the highest AC 1st class and $248 for the next class, the non-AC first class or either the 2 or 3 tier AC. This is a bargain especially if you take the long express trains.
Indian trains are in high demand and so it is wise to plan your journey well ahead, say at least a month before you arrive in India. Once your plans are made you must book your seats on the selected journeys. This can be done online on the Indian Railways site http://www.indianrail.gov.in . First of all start with the maps of the Indian railway system mentioned before. Then to book a train between two stations you must first find the train number by going to http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_metro_trns.html and entering the two stations. For example from New Delhi (station code ‘NDLS’) and Mumbai – MCT you will get a list of all the trains between the 2 stations. Then chose the train which suits you, for example Train Number 2952 – Mumbai Rajdhani Express which leaves Delhi at 16.30 and reaches Mumbai Central the next day at 08.30 in the morning. If you check the fare it will give you Rupees 3305 (as on 30th June 2009) – but you are not bothered about the fare, since you are having the IndRail Pass. So you don’t need to bother about the fare, but to check availability on the day you chose to travel. Normally AC first class cabins are available, but it is wise to book early, the earlier the better, especially for the 2/3 tier berths which are in high demand. An IndRail pass holder has some priority in getting bookings under the ‘foreign tourist’ category, but again, book early.
Now we will work out a virtual 30 day tour for you in India on which you could see almost all of India in 30 days. The virtual tour starts with you landing in India, in New Delhi. On day one you take a rest after the long flight in a hotel in Delhi. Next day, we take week long trip on the ‘Palace on Wheels’ and see the most important sights of Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan. The Palace on Wheels has been rated as one of the ten best luxurious train journeys in the world. It is an out-of-this world experience of how the famous Maharajas, or erstwhile Kings of India, traveled during their time of glory. The train has luxurious cabins, wall to wall carpeting, a well stocked bar, two dining cars and a very personalized service. It may be a bit expensive, in the range of about $ 2500- for a seven day trip, but it is an experience of a life time and defiantly worth every cent of the money spent. More from http://palacetours.net/Tourview.aspx?tag=t1&tid=2.
After this seven day trip, you return to Delhi and take the overnight Rajdhani Express to Mumbai (Bombay) spend the night of day 8 on the train, and days 9 and 10 in Mumbai experiencing this great city. On the 11th day, we will take the train to Goa. Please note that there is no Railway station named Goa, it is Madagaon. For this journey we need to use one of Indian Railways greatest Engineering achievement, the Konkan Railways - which is the railway line through the mountainous West coast of India. The train we chose for our journey from Mumbai to Madagaon is Train No. 2432 'Trivandrum Rajdhani Express' from http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_metro_trns.html . It leaves Mumbai pretty early at 03.50 hours and reaches Madagaon (Goa) at 14.40 or about 3 in the afternoon. Some very nice views can be seen on this journey. We send two nights in Goa and on day 13 we will take same train on which we came to Madagaon from Mumbai, to the Ernakulam Junction, the main Station in the centre of Paradise, Kerala State. We spend at least 4 nights in Kerala, to savour this Paradise on earth. There are many things you can do in Kerala, but one of the best choice will be to spend two nights on a Houseboat on the Backwaters of Kerala. You save on the hotel bill, because of your stay on the House boat and the difference is not much. This will be one of your most relaxing time you spent in your life. Other choices in Kerala are the beaches of Kovalam or a visit to the resort of Thekkady where you are in a boat in a lake and can safely get close to wild elephants, buffalos, deer, and a tiger if you get lucky, when these animals come to the lake's edge to have a of drink water. There still more enticing choices, but more on this in our dedicated page on Kerala . So after 4 nights in Kerala, we are on day 18. We have the choice to take an overnight train to Bangalore to see the Silicon valley of India, but on this virtual tour we decide to go to Madras or Chennai, by an overnight train and spend 2 days there. the sights to see in Chennai are many as detailed in our dedicated page on Chennai. By now, we know the tricks of choosing the right trains on the Indian Railway web site, so it will not be necessary to explain how to do it. On day 20 we take the train to Hyderabad and spend one night to see the sights there. On day 22 we take the over night train to Kolkata or Calcutta and arrive there on day 23. We see the sights of Kolkatta which will include Darjeeling in the itinerary. So we need to spend 3 nights here. Darjeeling is special because you go there by the steam engine driven, world heritage 'Mountain Railways of India' the 'Toy Train'. More on this on our page Kolkata. On day 27 we return to Delhi by a Rajdhani Express and arrive on Day 28. This leaves us a couple of days for Delhi for any last minute shopping for gifts and we are ready to take off back to our Homeland after having the satisfaction of having seen India without leaving India, that is without leaving the ground of India.
Luxury Train Tours
‘The Palace on Wheels’ and ‘ Royal Rajasthan on Wheels’ are two luxury tour trains operating out of Delhi and visiting the most important tourist destinations of Agra and Rajasthan. Both these luxury tourist trains hope to recreate the splendors of the era of the Maharaja’s who used to travel in their own superbly fitted Railway Coaches.
The cabins of both the Palcae on Wheels and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels are all air-conditioned with twin beds and attached toilets. Two fine restaurants, "The Maharaja" and "The Maharani", are there serving continental, Chinese, Indian and Rajasthani cuisines. Both trains depart from New Delhi and during its eight day journey, travels around Rajasthan with stops in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra. Some of the tourist attractions covered are the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, the Ranthambhor National Park, Chittaurgarh Fort, Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the Agra Fort and finally the Taj Mahal.
'The Golden Chariot' Train
Operates out of Bangalore or Goa and is a great way to see the important tourist spots of Karnataka and Goa States. The coaches of the train are coloured purple and gold, and has the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and a body of a lion. The Golden Chariot operates weekly.
The train has on board accommodations, spa treatments and dining. It has two restaurants, a lounge bar, and conference area, gym and spa facilities. It has onboard Wi-Fi connectivity, and satellite antennae providing live television service in the cabins.
The train sells a 7-day/8-night tour of Bangalore, Kabini, Mysore, Hassan, Hospet (for Hampi - Vijayanagara), Badami and Goa, before returning to Bangalore or Goa. Passengers have the option to start their trips from either Bangalore or Goa. The tourist attractions seen during the trip include the Nagarhole National Park, Mysore Palace, Srirangapatna forts, Hampi / Vijayanagr ruins, Hoysaleswara Temple, Gomateshwara and the Badami Cave Temples. A route map is shown on the right.
From October, 2009, the Golden Chariot is planning to to have two week tours that will cover Coimbatore, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, and Kochi also.
The Deccan Odyssey
The Deccan Odyssey is a luxury train like the Palace on Wheels to boost tourism on the Konkan route of the Indian Railways. The journey starts in Mumbai (Bombay) and in the seven days you spend on the train, it travels to Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Belgaum, Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ajanta-Ellora and then back to Mumbai. These luxury trains are as comfortable as a 5-star hotel and for the time you spend on these trains you are not paying any hotel bills. This train has two restaurants, a bar, a sauna, business centre and other facilities on board.