The Indian railway network comprises a wide array of trains and they are further classified into categories. Before online train ticket booking it is crucial to understand the different types of trains.
Types of trains.
- Local or just Passenger trains are the slowest, and they stop at every station. You wouldn’t want to use these for long-distance travel; instead, you’d want to use them for short trips.
- The majority of rapid long-distance trains fall into one of two categories: Mail or Express. Although Express trains are marginally faster than Mail trains with fewer stops, there is little difference between the two. When an express or postal train is labeled as Superfast, it means it runs on a tighter schedule and at a faster pace, but not always with better facilities.
- In addition to Mail & Express, India offers a number of premium train brands that indicate higher speeds and higher-quality, more modern carriages with better onboard amenities, such as complimentary refreshments:
- Rajdhani Express trains are superb air-conditioned long-distance sleeper trains that connect Delhi with regional capitals such as Bombay, Calcutta, and other cities. The following trains are the best to take: Delhi to Bombay and Delhi to Calcutta are two of the most popular routes. When compared to flying, Rajdhani Expresses depart in the early evening and arrive in the morning, saving time. Meals are served right at your seat and are included in the ticket cost. The Delhi-Bombay Rajdhani travels in brand-new German-designed coaches, which can be seen in images at this link. They are highly recommended; they outperform flying hands-down!
- Shatabdi Express trains are exceptional fast air-conditioned daytime trains featuring AC Chair class and AC Executive Chair class that run at up to 140 km/h (87mph) on routes like Delhi – Agra, Delhi – Jaipur, and Delhi-Kalka. The price of the ticket includes refreshments. These are the greatest trains to ride, and they come highly recommended.
- Tejas Express trains, like the Shatabdi Expresses, are rapid, all-air-conditioned trains. They operate on a number of routes, including Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Karmali in Goa. There are two types of AC chairs: chair and executive chair. They can reach high speeds up to 130 km/h (81mph).
- Vande Bharat Express trains are modern streamlined-nose electric units that go at 160 km/h (100 mph) and have AC Chair and AC Executive Chair classes. They currently operate on two routes: Delhi-Katra and Delhi-Varanasi. Refreshments are included in the fare, as they are on the Shatabdi Expresses.
- Duronto Conveys. Duronto, which means rebel, is another preferred rail category. These are extremely fast long-distance trains that run nonstop between important city pairs, typically outpacing the equivalent Rajdhani. Bombay-Calcutta, Delhi-Calcutta, Bombay-Calcutta, Delhi-Lucknow, and Bombay-Jaipur are some of the routes that run, though not every day. Although the carriages may not be as well-allocated as the premium Rajdhani Express on the same route, Duronto Expresses are all-air-conditioned, with AC1, AC2, and AC3 sleepers.
- The AC2 sleeper on the Delhi – Varanasi Express connects Jaisalmer and Delhi.
- The locomotive backs onto the Jaisalmer to Delhi Express, making it easy to identify your train and carriage. The train’s name and number are plainly displayed on the yellow signboard on the end carriage. At each station, there are also highly visible station name boards.
- On the Delhi-Varanasi express, an AC2 sleeper car. The train number and route are displayed on the yellow boards on the coaching side, so you know you’ve boarded the correct train. The coach number is displayed in a small yellow square beneath the destination boards.
New Delhi International Tourist Bureau.
Foreign travelers can purchase tickets at the International Tourist Bureau at the New Delhi railway station. Even when a train is fully packed with Indian passengers, they can often sell you seats outside of the tourist quota. Every day starting from 6:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m., it is open (Covid may affect this).
How to find it.
Enter the Paharganj side of New Delhi’s main station entrance (shown in the photo below left), veer slightly to the left, and ascend one flight of stairs to find yourself outside the International Tourist Bureau (shown in the photo below right). It is located above platform 1. It isn’t the real International Tourist Office if it doesn’t look like the photo below.
Don’t be fooled by scammers: Ignore anyone spreading rumors that it has moved or is closed.
If someone, even with an official-looking name badge, tells you the office is closed, or trains are not working that it has burned down, flooded, melted, been abducted by aliens, eaten by giant elephants, or been relocated across the road, and he can take you there, or that all the trains are canceled, but he can arrange a car and driver, etc.
Similarly, disregard reports of communal riots, the dangers of the area where your pre-booked hotel is located, and so on. who appears official and demands your ticket before you go to the reservation bureau and claim you can’t pass without one. It’s all a con. Greetings from India!
Stop at nothing, don’t listen to anyone, and keep going to the International Tourist Bureau shown below, no matter what they say.
Tatkal places.
Indian Railways introduced the Tatkal (Hindi for “instant”) system to allow passengers to travel on trains that are often fully booked weeks before departure. A number of tickets on important trains are held back and issued at 10:00 one day before departure (initially 72 hours, decreased to 2 days in August 2009, and only one day in 2011), then sold with an extra Tatkal tax of Rs75-Rs300. If tourist quota places are available, the Tatkal system may be useless for you; nevertheless, if a tourist quota place is unavailable, a Tatkal place may be useful. You can make a tatkal reservations via online train ticket booking.
How to buy tickets at the station
An International Tourist Bureau is located at the main stations in major cities and tourist destinations, including New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi, where foreign visitors can book trains away from the crowds and queuing at the standard booking office. To avoid this chaotic process, you can Visit Trainman App and get all the train-related information at your fingertips.
