Everything To Know About Train Travel In India

1. Everything to Know About Train Travel In India With 1.4 million employees, IR is the eighth largest employer in the world. IR operates the third largest rail network in the world (after the United States and China) and the first in terms of passenger kilometers. The network covers more than 60,000 km, serves approximately 7,500 stations and approximately 20 million people use it every day. Indian trains are not among the best or fastest in the world, but the service is efficient (although delays are frequent). Traveling by train in India is an exciting experience in many ways. This is certainly the best way to meet and take the time to talk with local people, and on many routes, the train is the fastest, most comfortable and cheapest way to travel. The Inception of the Journey It developed from the 1850s to quickly become one of the largest in the world. Linking all major cities and a good number of villages in all Indian states, it is an indispensable element in the daily life of many Indians who use it to go to work, to return home to see their family (sometimes crossing the whole country !), transport goods, etc. The standard rail gauge on most lines is 1.676 meters, significantly more than the standard 1.435-meter gauge. This allows the trains to be larger and more massive. Some lines are however always metric gauge which was the standard of most networks of the British Indies. The wide-gauge conversion of most of these metric pathways is still in progress or planned. The change of gauge always requires a change of train when it presents itself. The network also has several mountain tracks whose spacing is less than 1 meter. The trains that run there, the "toy trains" are no less famous, two of them (the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Kalka Shimla Railway) are listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Large trains not very fast and sometimes crowded, huge stations and teeming with activity even in the middle of the night, vendors of tea traveling, delays sometimes (very) important are the daily picture of the traveler by train. Trains, even the fastest, rarely travel more than 40 km / h average (counting stops) but travel very long distances across the country. Night travel is the most common, and most trains have sleeper cars. Trains and classes A schematic map of India's rail network in color-coded spacing Train categories In India, all trains have a five-digit number as a unique identifier and a name.

2. It is very useful to remember these two components when you want to take a train because they allow interrogating other travelers on a particular train. In addition, this information is reproduced on the sides of the cars. The name specifies in general (but not systematically) the category to which belongs a given train, these categories resulting from the average speed of trains, essentially. These categories are, from the fastest to the slowest: Superfast: these very fast trains connect the main cities with very few intermediate stops. This category is subdivided into Rajdhani, Duronto, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi, and Farib Rath which offer different levels of comfort. For these trains, you can book an irctc railway ticket agent for purchasing the tickets. Express or Mail: These fairly fast trains serve the main stations and generally include several classes, with or without reservation. Fast Passenger: These trains serve most stations and include places with or without reservation but no air conditioning. Passenger: These trains serve almost all stations; some of them include only general class cars. Local: These short-distance trains serve all the stations and correspond to the image of the trains with passengers traveling on the roof or hanging from the doors of the wagons. In addition to these normal trains, the network includes mountain trains and some private lines usually very luxurious. Seating classes Indian trains do not include less than 10 different classes, but not all of them are present in all trains. With the exception of the general class, all classes require (theoretically) a reservation. IRCTC Logo indicating a link to the website - This is the official booking site of the Indian Railways. As for the other official sites, the interface is rather confusing, but once accustomed to the site the navigation on this one is rather fast, and the bookings are done without too many clashes (except at Tatkal times). The irctc agent can also help you out in this matter. This public site is the safest way to book online, its main defect is that it does not accept credit card payments issued by non-Indian banks (with the exception of American Express cards issued in certain countries). In addition, the registration process on the site is complicated because it is necessary to manually bypass automatic systems that were designed for Indian only.

3. Resource Box: At the present time it is really easy purchasing tickets for the Indian Rail ride. All you will need to do is to purchase an irctc railway ticket agent. This agent will purchase the tickets as per your requirement. Summary: "The Lifeline of the Nation" as it is nicknamed more or less officially, the origins of the railroad in India goes back to the British Raj. With the notable exception of a few private trains and some urban transport lines, almost all trains in India are operated by the national company Indian Railways (IR).