Rail travel in India

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 network in India are operated by the government-run Indian Railways (IR).

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). Still, you can enjoy the narrow-gauge "toy trains" in mountainous areas (see #Mountain trains below). In addition, metros generally use standard gauge (1,435 mm or 4 ft 8.5 in) to procure foreign rakes (see #Metros and monorails below).

There are several websites of the Indian Railways (IR).

• Main website^{[dead link]} — it's in Hindi by default. You have to manually switch the language to English.
• Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry — for PNR enquiry, seat availability, fare enquiry and train schedules.
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation^{[dead link]} (IRCTC)

IR often employs Hindi terms across languages for consistency, even in English. So the common Hindi terms are given below, with pronunciations and translations in brackets.

• Divyang (dih-VYAHNG, divine organ) or divyangjan (dih-VYAHNG-juhn, person with divine organ) — a euphemism for passengers with disabilities. It replaces earlier terms like 'disabled' or 'handicapped'.
• Sahyog (sehh-YOHG, cooperation) — a railway help desk. Replaces the earlier term 'enquiry'.

There are a variety of trains in India depending on the route you travel. They can be broadly classified as follows:

• Overnight trains — They offer sleeping amenities in coaches for long-distance travel.
• Intercity trains — They connect important cities in medium distance.
• Ordinary express/mail trains — They stop only at major stations on the route.
• Short-distance trains — They stop at all or most stations on the route.
• Special trains — Extra reserved trains during special occasions.
• Mountrain trains — Narrow-gauge trains offering breathtaking landscapes.
• Luxury trains — One of the most luxurious ways to explore the main tourist attractions in India.

Other than luxury trains, the most expensive and luxurious trains on a given route offer air conditioning, seat reservations and more passenger space. They run at speeds up to 130–160 km/h (81–99 mph), are almost always on schedule, and get high priority over other trains on their respective routes. 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. These trains feature air-conditioning, premium catering, and modern onboard facilities with doors which are operated automatically.

In contrast, the cheaper services are slower, lack air conditioning and include unreserved seats. Between the two extremes, there are trains with both AC and non-AC accommodations. 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.

Most non-local trains are classified as express trains. This basically means they stop only at major stations. Some express trains are further classified as superfast. However, don't get too excited by it; the term superfast merely means that the train has an average speed of at least 55 km/h (34 mph), and therefore the "superfast surcharge" is added to the ticket price.

In addition, many rail services are named in Hindi but with Roman letters, which could be a hinderance for foreign travellers. So pronunciations and translations are provided in brackets.

The overnight trains offer sleeping amenities in coaches for long-distance travel. The sleeper trains from the most expensive to the most affordable are:

• Vande Bharat Sleeper Express (vuhn-DAY B^HAH-ruht, Praise India Sleeper Express) — Fully air-conditioned semi-high-speed train. Operates on one route from Howrah to Kamakhya.
• Rajdhani Express (rahj-D^HAH-nee, Capital Express) — Operates between the national capital New Delhi and state capitals. They are fully air-conditioned with the highest priority over other trains on the same route.
• Duronto Express (doo-ruhn-TOH, Powerful Express) — Point-to-point trains with minimum stops.
• Humsafar Express (HUHM-suh-fuhr, Co-Passenger Express) — Cheaper AC trains with modern amenities like modern side-curtains, beverage vending machines and CCTV.
• Amrit Bharat Express (UHM-riht B^HAH-ruht, Immortal India Express) — They operate with non-AC reserved and unreserved coaches.
• Garib Rath Express (guh-REEB ruht^h, Poor's Chariot Express) — They feature full air conditioning at lower ticket costs.
• Antyodaya Express (uhn-TYOH-digh, Rise of Dusk Express) — Fully unreserved trains with modern amenities. There's an older version called Jan Sadharan Express (juhn SAH-d^hah-ruhnn, Common People's Express).

They connect important cities in medium distance, for example two adjacent states' capitals, and return to their origin station the same day. They lack sleeping amenities. The intercity trains from the most expensive to the most affordable are:

• Vande Bharat Express (vuhn-DAY B^HAH-ruht, Praise India Express) — Modern semi-high-speed trains, and IR's falgship trains.
• Tejas Express (TAY-juhss, Brilliance Express) — Fully air-conditioned trains with modern amenities.
• Shatabdi Express (shuh-TAHB-dee, Century Express) — Fully air-conditioned trains.
• Jan Shatabdi Express (juhn shuh-TAHB-dee, People's Century Express) — They are intended to be an economical version of the Shatabdi Express, with both AC and non-AC accommodations.
• Double Decker Express — Fully air-conditioned double-decker trains. There's a more advanced version called Uday Express (oo-DIGH, Rise Express).

These trains can be either sleeper or intercity depending on distance. They have both AC and non-AC accommodations, as well as unreserved coaches. They get a lower priority than the premium trains, but higher priority above the local trains. Fully air-conditioned versions are called "AC Express".

These trains usually get the least importance compared to express trains, and thus subject to massive delays (Namo Bharat is the only one with generally on time service). 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 passengers.

• Namo Bharat Rapid Rail (nuh-MOH B^HAH-ruht, Bow to India Rapid Rail) — Fully air-conditioned short-distance trains.
• Fast Passenger — Has both reserved and unreserved non-AC coaches. Skips some halts.
• Passenger — Has sitting accommodation. and sometimes standing room and grab rails. Stops at all stations except most suburban stops.
• Local — Has both sitting accommodation as well as standing room and grab rails. They operate within and around big cities. They are often crowded but are generally the fastest and cheapest way to get around cities which have them. IR runs local trains on suburban routes in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

These are extra reserved trains run to meet demand and incur an additional charge. While it is often easier to find seats, they can run with lower priority and hence you can face significant delays - check the average delay of the train before booking it if this is important for you.

Indian Railways operate narrow-gauge trains to various hill stations in India. Travelling on them is a delightful experience, with the tiny trains passing through tunnels, over bridges, around curves and loops amid spectacular scenery. The first three of the four mentioned below are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• 27.04588.2672221 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), dhroffice.kurseong@gmail.com. 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.  (updated May 2026)
• 31.10460577.1734242 Kalka–Shimla Railway (KSR). 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.  (updated May 2026)
• 11.34431776.7919443 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.  (updated May 2026)
• 31.98915876.7894854 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.  (updated May 2026)

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, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) 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 RTDC and the 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$864 per person per night on double occupancy basis in the off-peak season and US$976 for the same in peak season (October–March).  (updated May 2026)
• The Royal Orient. The second luxury train introduced in India after the huge success of Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan. It is a joint initiative of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and the Indian Railways to promote tourism in Gujarat. The Royal Orient starts from Delhi Cantonment and operates between September and April, starting every Wednesday of the week. It provides an eight day and seven night tour, and has stops at Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Junagadh, Veraval, Mandvi, Dilwara, Palitana and Sarkhej.  (updated May 2026)
• The Deccan Odyssey. A joint initiative of the Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation (MSTDC) and the Indian Railways to promote tourism in Maharashtra. The itinerary of this luxury rail tour was designed to offer the cultural and historical insights to the guest at some of the most significant destinations in Maharashtra. The 7 nights/8 days itinerary beginning from Mumbai crisscrosses some of the most mesmerizing landscape along the verdant Western Ghats and the Konkan Coast, including 2 days in Goa. The fare starts from US$9330 per person for a 7 nights / 8 days journey, deluxe cabin.  (updated May 2026)
• Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. Launched in 2009 with a similar route as the original Palace on Wheels.  (updated May 2026)
• Mahaparinirvan Express (Great Complete Nirvana Express). A Buddhist pilgrimage train offering an eight-day tour to Buddhist sites like Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. (updated May 2026)
• The Golden Chariot. Named after the famous Stone Chariot in Hampi, a World Heritage Site, the Golden Chariot offers two weeklong itineraries across destinations in South India. Golden Chariot is the only luxury train in India offering luxury tours in South India. This Indian luxury train does two eight-day loop from Bangalore. There are five journeys offered by the train, mostly taking in the famous sites of Karnataka, with some routes also going to neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The train features a restaurant, bar, lounges, gym, business centre, spa, Wi-Fi, cabins with attached bathroom and disabled access. Prices start from US$948 per person per night, twin share.  (updated May 2026)
• The Maharajas' Express. 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 Splendour, the Indian Panorama, Gems of India and Treasures of India. 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.  (updated May 2026)
• Bharat Gaurav (India Pride). The latest tourist train to showcase India's history and culture. (updated May 2026)

Many Indian cities have their own metro, monorail, rapid rail or tram lines separate from the IR network. These are often connected with the respective railway stations by footbridges or subways (underpasses). Some of those cities are:

• Delhi and the National Capital Region (Delhi NCR) — Served by metro and rapid rail.
  • The Delhi Metro is extensive within central Delhi, with outer sections covering satellite towns like Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram.
  • The Namo Bharat (Bow to India), popularly called "rapid rail", operates semi-high-speed trains between Delhi and Meerut.
• Kolkata — Served by metro and tram.
  • The Kolkata Metro has two main lines criscrossing the city, with additional lines under construction.
  • Kolkata trams run from Esplanade to Gariahat and Shyambazar. It is India's only operational tram system.
• Mumbai — Served by metro and monorail.
  • The Mumbai Metro runs from Colaba (Cuffe Parade) to the Shivaji Airport, with additional lines serving the city's suburbs.
  • The Mumbai Monorail runs from Mahalaxmi (Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk) to Chembur. It is India's only operational monorail.

See the "Get around" sections of respective cities for details and network maps.

The Indian Railways has multiple classes of rail travel to choose from. Not all classes are available on different trains: for example, chair cars are usually found only on intercity trains, while the sleeper classes are only found on overnight services. Most long-distance trains also include a couple of unreserved sitting coaches.

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

AC First Class 4-berth cabin

A typical Indian sleeper coach

On AC overnight classes, an attendant brings around bedrolls or linens in the evening, including bedsheets, blankets and pillows.

• AC First Class (1A or H) — 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 or A) — 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 Indian style toilets, spottily provided with toilet paper.
• AC 3 Tier (3A or B) — Similar to 2 Tier, but with an additional middle-bunk in the cabins, although not on the sides. Curtains are not present. This can make it uncomfortable to sit up straight during the morning if the person in the middle-bunk is a heavy sleeper, though legally the middle-berth person has to get up outside the "night" hours of 10PM-6AM. Because there are more people around, 3A tends to be noisier than 2A.
• AC 3 Tier Economy (3E or G or M) — Similar to 3 Tier, but with slightly more cramped seats. However, the coaches are newer, and therefore are better-maintained. The price of a 3E berth is marginally less than that of a 3A berth. 3E coaches are denoted by "G" in Garib Rath trains, and by "M" elsewhere.
• First Class (FC) — The original non-AC version of AC First Class. They are still available on a few trains, as they are largely phased out in favour of 1A.
• Sleeper (SL or S) — The way most Indians travel long distance, and it's 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 often dirty and you may find yourself sharing your cabin with passengers without a reservation. For the adventurous, this is the way to see India.

An AC Chair Car of Rani Kamalapati—Jabalpur Jan Shatabdi Express

Second Seater

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.

• Executive Anubhuti ("Sensation", EA or K) — Available on a few Shatabdis. It is essentially a modernised 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 or E) — Only available on Vande Bharat and Shatabdi Express, and some ordinary trains like the Howrah–Tatanagar Steel Express. It is extremely comfortable, and is the most comfortable way to travel during the daytime. The seats are completely rotatable; and the coaches are generally better-maintained and clean.
• AC Chair Car (CC or C) — 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 Sitting (2S or D) — Available on most daytime intercity trains. It 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, depending on the location, you may see ticketless passengers, or passengers with a "general" ticket, use the seats by paying the fine to the TTE. In such cases, 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.

An empty Vistadome coach

An empty second-class compartment. But don't expect the seats to be empty like this!

• Vistadome — These are glass roof coaches, available in some scenic routes. 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).
• Second Class or General (GEN or GS or UR) — These coaches 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, unless you really have no other choice.
• Ladies or Men Not Allowed — Special coaches available at both ends of a train if you are a solo female and taking the train to enjoy a more comfortable and hopefully less crowded ride. This is not common though, unless you're in a suburban railway system. Further, on long-distance trains such coaches are merely specially reserved general coaches, and may also get crowded due to the influx of daily commuters.
• For Disabled or Divyangjan ("Person with Divine Organ") — These are special unreserved coaches that are available at both ends of a train and are reserved for passengers with disabilities.

The IR uses mainly two types of coaches for non-suburban services:

• ICF coaches (Integral Coach Factory) — The mainstay of IR passenger services. As they were developed in the 1950s, they were rather antiqued and have interior facilities worn-out. They are identified by yellow and red colours, and older ones are identified by blue and turquoise colours.
• LHB coaches (Linke-Hoffmann-Busch) — Developed in the 2000s, these coaches have better interior coaches and are generally more comfortable than ICF coaches.

In general, older services use ICF coaches, and the newer and more premium ones use LHB coaches.

The Indian Railways (IR) network is divided into 18 zones, with a special zone for the Kolkata Metro. The names and abbreviations of these zones are commonly painted on trains in both English and Hindi. Although the names of different zones are intended to indicate different compass points of India, that's not always the case (for example, the Central Railway (CR) covers mainly Western India). Here's a list of the 18 zones:

• Central Railway (CR) – covers southern Madhya Pradesh and western Maharashtra. It operates most lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Headquartered at CSMT, Mumbai.
• East Central Railway (ECR) – covers most of Bihar, northern Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Headquartered in Hajipur.
• East Coast Railway (ECoR) – covers most of Odisha and eastern Chhattisgarh. Headquartered in Bhubaneswar.
• Eastern Railway (ER) – covers southeastern Bihar, northeastern Jharkhand, southern West Bengal. It operates most lines of the Kolkata Suburban Railway network. Headquartered at Fairlie Place, Kolkata.
• Konkan Railway (KR) – covers a railway line from Roha near Mumbai to Thokur near Mangalore (Mangaluru). Headquartered at CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai.
• North Central Railway (NCR) – covers northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh. Headquartered in Prayagraj.
• North Eastern Railway (NER) – covers northern Uttar Pradesh. Headquartered in Gorakhpur.
• North Western Railway (NWR) – covers most of Rajasthan. Headquartered in Jaipur.
• Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) – covers North-Eastern India, northeastern Bihar and northern West Bengal. Headquartered at Maligaon, Guwahati.
• Northern Railway (NR) – covers Himalayan North, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and central Uttar Pradesh. Headquartered at Baroda House, New Delhi.
• South Central Railway (SCR) – covers Telangana, central Maharashtra and the Bidar area of Karnataka. Headquartered in Secunderabad.
• South Coast Railway (SCoR) – covers most of Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka and Telangana. Headquartered in Visakhapatnam.
• South East Central Railway (SECR) – covers most of Chhattisgarh, and eastern Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Headquartered in Bilaspur.
• South Eastern Railway (SER) – covers southern Jharkhand, northeastern Odisha and southwestern West Bengal. It operates the South Eastern Line of the Kolkata Suburban Railway. Headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata.
• South Western Railway (SWR) – covers most of Karnataka, southern Maharashtra, northern Tamil Nadu and the Puttaparthi area of Andhra Pradesh. Headquartered at Hubli (Hubballi).
• Southern Railway (SR) – covers Kerala, Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh. Headquartered in Chennai.
• West Central Railway (WCR) – covers most of Madhya Pradesh and western Rajasthan. Headquartered in Jabalpur.
• Western Railway (WR) – covers Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, western Mumbai and northern Konkan coast of Maharashtra. It operates the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Headquartered at Churchgate, Mumbai.

There are over 6000 railway stations in India, not including the metro stations. Every city has at least one station, and they have trains from other cities. There are different kinds of stations, from the largest stations with trains from all major cities, to passenger halts (PH) with single platforms by railway tracks where even local trains don't stop at all. Most major stations are at city or town centres, although some newer stations are built at their fringes.

All stations in India have signs in English and Hindi, mentioning the station name and details of facilities at the station. Most stations also have signs in other languages, which are usually the local languages used around the area. For example, the stations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have signs in English, Hindi and Urdu, while the stations in Tamil Nadu have signs in English, Hindi and Tamil.

The stations clocks always use the 24-hour time, so 12:00 is noon and 00:00 is midnight.

Free Wi-Fi facilities, known as RailWire, are available at major railway stations. You'll need to enter a mobile number and get an OTP (one-time PIN).

Major railway 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 stations have audio recordings in English, Hindi and other languages announcing train departures and arrivals. Depending on the station, the English announcement can be performed initially, finally or in between other languages.

The announcements are usually in the format "38707 Howrah–Kharagpur Local will depart from platform number 12 at 7:20 hours" for departures, and "Train number 12345 Howrah–Guwahati Saraighat Express is arriving on platform number 2" for arrivals.

Express trains have separate announcements for coach configurations in English and Hindi from locomotive to tail end, like "L SLRD General General S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 PC HA1 A1 A2 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 General General HCP. Thank you."

Most stations have digital displays listing trains in order of departure/arrival time and platform. Some also display the coach configurations of arriving trains. There are also signs for where each coach will stand.

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.

There are numerous hawkers selling things in trains and stations. You should check the quality of the product before buying it. There are "One Station One Product" stalls at most railway stations, selling local products.

IR operates two hotels in New 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 New 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) and a television. You have 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.

• 28.64231477.2200041 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)
• 22.5820588.342452 Sampath Rail Yatri Niwas, New Complex, Howrah railway station (metro: Howrah  2 ), ☏ +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)
• 19.80774385.8380293 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)

You must have a valid ticket before boarding a train. Boarding a train without a ticket is a criminal offence in India.

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.

Before booking a ticket, do visit the official Fare Enquiry for information including finding a train, fare and ticket availability. You can also get the whole schedule online of a train Train Schedule. 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.

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, though the TTE is likely to simply ask for your name and seat number and compare it with their records. The procedure for booking an e-ticket is as follows:

• Log in to the IRCTC^{[dead link]} website. Additionally, there is an official app called "Rail One" available both in the Play Store and the App Store. Note that you need a Google or Apple account with India as its location – you can create a new account for that purpose (it takes 5 minutes).
• 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. In 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, with a CNF Probability option telling you how likely is it that you'll get out of the 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 phone, tablet or laptop, 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 the Rail One app.

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, American Express 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.

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:

• 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.
• Superfast Express — they skip some of the major stations and charge even higher than Express and Mail trains.
• Express/Mail — they stop only at major railway stations and charge higher than Passenger trains.
• Fast Passenger — passenger trains that skip smaller stations and offer the same fare structure.
• Passenger — slow trains that stop in all stations including very small stations.

For more details of trains and fares, log in to IRCTC^{[dead link]}. 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.

The average fare for a 200 km distance for different classes is given below (as of 2015):

• AC First Class: ₹1,200
• AC 2-Tier: ₹617
• AC 3-Tier: ₹430
• AC Chair Car: ₹203
• Sleeper: ₹120
• Second Class (express): ₹70
• Second Class (passenger): ₹30

• 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 demand, 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.
• If you have any problem registering via the IRCTC website, try using an Indian phone number, or try registering vial the "rail one" app (an app by Indian Railways). If you have issues paying when booking via IRCTC, try some of these other sites like confirmtkt and IndianTrain.
• 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.

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, paying the applicable fare). 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 waitlist (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 you're earlier in the queue.

All reserved trains keep a small quota of seats known as Tatkal (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 be very 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 a must for Tatkal ticket booking.

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 can be booked online if you set up a foreign tourist IRCTC account and pay a ₹100 registration fee with a foreign credit card.

One significant advantage of Indian Railways is that you can travel with dogs and cats in 1AC (AC First Class), or in the luggage compartment inside a dog box in most trains (kittens and those that can be kept in a basket are allowed in any coach - see this page). However, the process is a bit convoluted, and any co-passengers you have can object, in which case the dog is placed in the luggage compartment without refund. See this blog for an example.

You have to pay the cancellation fee if you want to cancel your ticket before departure. If your ticket is waitlisted, the cancellation fee is a flat ₹20. Otherwise, the exact fee amount depends on the following factors:

• Class — The higher the class, the greater the fee.
• Time — The fee increases significantly if you cancel a confirmed ticket less than 48 hours before departure.

But if you want to cancel it after the journey, you have to file an online TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) via IRCTC or the app. Here are some common cases:

• If all passengers are waitlisted and hence cannot travel, a full refund will be automatically given with no charges.
• If some passengers are confirmed and the others are waitlisted, a fee of ₹20/passenger will be charged as long as TDR is filed at least four hours before scheduled departure.
• If the train is delayed by over three hours, a full refund will be given as long as online TDR is filed before the train departs and you do not travel. Unlike many other countries, you cannot get a refund and travel at the same time. This can hence be tricky to execute because you lose this option after train departure, so if you take this option, use NTES to track the train you want to file a TDR.

Importantly, trying to cancel when you should file a TDR would result in significant cancellation charges (or no refund at all).

Check the official cancellation rules for details.

The train ticket contains reservation information like coach numbers, seat numbers, berths, genders and ages. You have to check the coach configuration in announcements, displays or via the RailOne app. Unreserved second-class carriages are always at either ends of the train, and the AC coaches occupy one half of it, leaving the rest for non-AC reserved coaches.

Every passenger needs to carry a form of ID (like Aadhaar), though whether your ID will be checked depends on the serving Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE).

Railway staff often ask for tips in AC classes.

All trains have provisions to keep the luggage underneath the seats. The sitting coaches also have overhead racks for luggage.

Some trains have dedicated luggage (L) or sitting and luggage (SLRD) coaches for large items. They are either just behind the locomotive or at the opposite end.

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.

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.

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.

Smoking and alcohol consumption are illegal on trains and at stations. Offenders are subject to hefty fines.

Tea is the most common beverage sold on trains and at stations. Other beverages include coffee and cold drinks.

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.

Except suburban local trains, all trains have four toilets per carriage, two at each end. The toilets 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 first-class carriages in Rajdhanis.

Enjoy the train, and speak to your fellow passenger. You may meet fascinating, wonderful people. 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.

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:

• 33.974.81 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.  (updated May 2026)
• 16.973.32 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.  (updated May 2026)

Railfanning in India combines immense scale, diverse terrain, and rich colonial heritage, with the fourth-largest railway network in the world by route length. Key hotspots include the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Coonoor-Ooty), the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, and the high-speed Vande Bharat Express routes. Prime filming locations feature the dramatic Dudhsagar Waterfalls (Goa) and the bustling junction of Mumbai CSMT.

Rail travel is much safer than buses or cars, and some trains carry safety information.

Always watch your bags, especially in and around 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.

Contrary to common belief, it is uncommon for passengers to sit on the top of crowded trains in India, which is fairly common in Bangladesh. However, Indian trains often leave train carriage doors open, even on high-end train services, so mind your step when passing through doors. Some passengers also board on and alight from moving trains. Such moves are obviously risky and travellers should wait until the train has stopped.

All the non-AC coaches, especially second-class/general compartments, can be overcrowded because of local ticketless passengers. Local trains are also overcrowded during rush hour. So better to adjust in the situation and try not to argue and complain. AC coaches are fairly safe from this problem.

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.

In case of any issues (eg overcrowding), use the RailMadad^{[dead link]} application (you can also call 139 from an Indian phone).

• Bus travel in India