Train travel in India Complete guide
- Nov 20, 2025
- 5 min read
You can tell anyone, Indian or not, that you'd like to travel to India on a train: gritty eyes, confused faces and hidden smiles appear, along with expressions such as "are you kidding?", "I really want to see if you'll survive", or "we'll talk about it after the first trip, when you decide to throw away the other tickets and take a taxi". Yet, with modern conveniences like checking the track train live status, the experience is far less intimidating than it used to be.
When we arrived in an Indian railway station around 5 am in Jaisalmer we weren't sure. We carefully planned each step to ensure there wouldn't be any unexpected events, and our entire journey through Rajasthan could have been done by train. But, aside from the thoughts of a few of our friends who had been on a train ride to India and a little reading on information websites, as well as talking with people from the local community at the wedding reception that marked our journey to India and we gathered very negative views about the possibility to take any train journey among Indian cities, excluding possibly the most crowded travel route that leads that leads to Agra along with The Taj Mahal. We, in the end, really wanted to experience the ultimate experience, and moving by the most commonly used and widely used means of transportation within India's Indian state was certainly a large part of that. The well-known Indian railways could transport us nearly everywhere and at any moment with very little cost.
We travelled to nearly each city of Rajasthan before moving to Agra and Delhi and Agra, using trains that were long or short-distance with bunks or wagons with seats. We can assure you that this is an unforgettable experience with no unpleasant surprises. You will be able to experience a significant part of Indian life and culture.
Here are a few suggestions to make your trip more enjoyable.
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN ADVANCE
The Indian Railways are among the biggest and longest networks around the globe. It's not surprising, therefore, that they're also the most popular means of transportation for the local population as well. If you've any idea of the size of the Indian population, then you can understand why we recommend reserving a seat on the train ahead of time when you plan your journey — using tools like RailMitra can make checking availability and booking much easier.
It's not possible to board the train without having booked seats, and they typically are sold out months before the journey. Reservations are usually made 4 months prior to.
It is quite difficult to buy a ticket outside India, and definitely impossible on the official railway website www.indianrail.gov.in: you will almost certainly give up when they start asking you for identity papers, long registrations for each purchase, and sometimes an Indian phone number as a reference. We used the website https://12go.asia/en/india , where you can also check the taxi routes.
TOO MANY CLASSES TO CHOOSE FROM
Don't make the mistake of separating the first and second classes. The choice of a train seat in India is an absolute bus.
Prices are based on the class. Not every train has the same kind of class. Trains are classified according to the route they travel on and the kind of equipment that is used and every train has its own distinct. If you begin to notice obscure abbreviations like XC AC, CC, AC, SL, stop for a moment and look up this list of acronyms:
AC1: First class wagon equipped with air conditioning. Separate compartments for food and meals included. They come with beds, usually for travel over long distances. Bed linen and blankets are provided in the price.
AC2: air-conditioned car. The compartments aren't separate and the code "2" refers to the existence of two bunk beds. Blankets and sheets are included in the price.
AC3: air-conditioned vehicle that has 3 bunk beds which fold up to be able to rest on the lower bed to use as a seating area in the daytime. Blankets and sheets are provided in the cost of transportation.
AC Chair (EC) AC Chair (EC) are express trains that have 2 - or two-plus-2 seats fitted with air conditioners. Meal comes with.
AC Chair (CC) Class of chairs are trains that have air conditioning and 2 or 2 seats.
Sleeper class: SL is the most well-known train for the majority of people who isn't part of the richest castes. It travels over long distances and comes with beds that are on three or two levels that fold away, and with no air cooling. Sheets are not supplied.
2S, II: Second-class vehicles that can be reserved or not and equipped with faux wooden or leather benches, with no air conditioning.
We went on a trip with CC and SL. The tickets are very affordable and even if the travel routes are long (for instance, 6 hours of travel time between Jaisalmer Jodhpur and Jodhpur in the SL class) Travel in a simple, but comfortable manner.
Our only recommendation is for the 2S class. wouldn't suggest is 2S because it is the most popular among less wealthy families, who comprise a significant portion of India which is why it's usually very full. It is accessible without reservation, meaning that the waiting room is likely to be overflowing as well.
BEWARE OF WAGONS CODES
Indian stations are not surprisingly organised. The directions are in English Naturally and tracks, as well as any (likely) delays travel times, stops and delays are clearly displayed by the monitors. On each track, there is a clear indication the exact location where a particular train will stop.
It's very convenient, but occasionally the train shown on the screen doesn't exactly match with the actual one to stop at that point. We were in an ordinary car full of people. when we arrived at our destination carrying suitcases and backpacks among the crowd, were forced to return and walk across the length of a train in order to locate the correct one.
The train's class is printed on the exterior of every car, so you should verify it prior to getting on.
THE CURIOUS WORLD OF TRAVELLERS
The trip we took would be incomplete had we not gotten on trains. The world that revolves around train travel is interesting.
The blue and rusty cars with windows that have bars that children peek out. Sleeping cars in which the windows are stifled to create a dark. The fans that have cords hanging over the top of the ceiling over the cots, which are adorned with faux leather pillows, where people sleep naked, others covered inside a blanket others read, and some even look out the windows. A pile of blankets made of wool and sheets in sacks with the emblem from the Indian railways laid on soiled flooring made of linoleum.
Every station has a man who is taken on the train carrying an enormous thermos of tea, which is to be served to travelers. In the major stations along the platforms there are vendors selling street food where passengers leave for a while, then return with breakfast consisting of hot fried bell peppers, and the chilli bajji as well as the steaming round kachori wrapped in newspaper that is greasy.
There were only two westerners as well as a lonely tourist who sat for the entire six hours of the trip in his sleeping bag. We shared sleeping cots with one Indian soldier (the only one to communicate in English) along with his father who were headed home. After a couple of hours watching one another, we talked in depth about our nations of origin. I'm sure that you'll meet interesting people along your train ride and with whom this trip will be worthwhile sharing.
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