first railway journey in india

India's first train journey was made 171 years ago, today: Story, image and more

India's first train

On April 16, 1853, Indian Railways launched the first passenger train, travelling 34 km from Bori Bunder to Thane. Sahib, Sultan, and Sindh were the three locomotives that drove its 13 carriages. The day has been observed as Indian Rail Transport Day ever since. In a post on X, the Central Railways said, "In 1853, exactly 171 years ago today, India marked a significant milestone in transportation history with the inaugural journey of the first train from Bori Bunder to Thane. This pivotal moment heralded a new era of connectivity that shaped the nation's future." (Image: X/ Central Railways)

171st anniversary

The Indian Railways celebrates its 171st annivesary on April 16. With services provided to millions of passengers every day, it covers more than 1.2 lakh kilometres throughout the nation. A Central Railway (CR) spokesman noted this momentous occasion and told TOI, "171 years ago, the inaugural train embarked on its journey from Boribunder amidst a 21-gun salute and resounding applause from the thousands gathered at the station."

In 1832, the idea of a railway system was proposed in British India but it wasn't till 1853 that the first train of India actually made a journey. With the formation of new lines and businesses all over the nation, Indian Railways saw tremendous growth from the 1850s to the early 20th century. A significant turning point in the Railway Board's governance occurred with its founding in 1901.

Electrification

Between 1925 to 1950, the electrification of railway lines and the introduction of new technologies, including electric locomotives, were being done. The first Railway Budget was presented in 1925, which was a reflection of the railway network's increasing significance to India's development.

Locomotives to Vande Bharat

From using three locomotives for a 34-kilometre distance, to operating Vande Bharat trains that can run with speeds up to 160 kmph, the Indian Railways have come a long way. This network carries 2.3 crore passengers per day, and is also the biggest employer of the nation.

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History of Indian Railways from 1853 to Present

History of indian railways: take a look at the history of indian railways from industrial railways, passenger railways, its story of electrification/ modernisation, and so on..

History of Indian Railways: Indian Railways is the fourth-largest network in the world, spanning over 1.2 Lakh Km across the country. Mainly, three kinds of services are provided by the Indian Railway to the public including Express trains, Mail Express, and Passenger Trains. If we talk about the fare, then Passenger trains fare are the lowest and Mail Express trains are the highest. On the other hand, Express trains fare lie in the middle. 

In 1832 , the idea of setting up a railway system in British India was first proposed. At that time, rail travel was still in its infancy in Britain, but the East India Company knew the benefits of developing an extensive rail network. After a long decade of inaction, private entrepreneurs were allowed to establish a rail system by Lord Hardinge, the Governor-General of India in 1844 . Two companies were formed by the year 1845 namely "East Indian railway Company" and the "Great Indian Peninsula Railway". 

On 16 April 1853 , the first train in India was to run between Bori Bunder, Bombay (now Mumbai), and Thane at a distance of around 34 km. The network to about 14,500 Km was developed in 1880 around the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. In 1901 , Railway Board was formed under the guidance of the Department of Commerce and Industry. But still, the powers were vested in the Viceroy. Take a look at the chronology of Railways in India.

History of Indian Railways

Industrial railways (1832 -1852), introduction of passenger railways and expansion (1853-1924), read| what does the yellow and white line indicates in the train coaches, electrification and expansion (1925 - 1950), read| do you know about world's first solar powered train, re-organisation of zones and developments (1951-1983), rapid transit and later developments (1984 to present), know about the guarantee system and guaranteed railways.

When the first proposal for railways was being debated in the 1840s in Great Britain then there was intense lobbying in support of these proposals mainly by banks, traders, shipping companies, etc. Actually, they wanted that railways should be established in India and so had a strong interest. They prevailed British Parliament to create the Guarantee System. So, any company that constructed railways in India was guaranteed some rate of interest on its capital investment. East Company honoured this guarantee and then controlled large parts of India. Therefore, the railways that were built with such agreements governing them were known as guaranteed railways. Typically, the guarantee was for a return of 5% annually. The right was also there for the railway company to pull out of the venture and get compensation from the government at any time.

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• When did the first train in India run from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane? + On 16 April 1853, the first train in India leaves Bombay (now Mumbai) for Thane. It was dedicated by Lord Dalhousie. The train consists of 14 carriages and was pulled by three steam locomotive engines namely Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan. It travelled around 34 km and carried about 400 people.
• When did the first railway budget was presented in India? + In 1925, the first Railway budget was presented in India.
• When did Indian Railways reorganise into regional zones? + In 1952, the Indian Railway was reorganised into regional zones. And on 14th April 1952, the Southern Railway Zone was established.
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Timeline: 165 years of history on Indian Railways

In April, Indian Railways celebrated 165 years since its first passenger trains went into service in the country. This feature takes a deeper look at the long and complex history of one of the world’s largest rail employers, from the British Raj to the modern rail operations of a developing superpower.

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Despite beginning life as a by-product of British colonial rule, India’s railways have come to define and shape the country over the course of the last century and a half. Tracks that were laid to boost a regime and fill the coffers of foreign investors evolved to support the country itself, forming a staggeringly vast network which you could call a jewel in the Indian crown.

As Indian Railways (IR) celebrates the 165th anniversary of its first passenger service, we take a look back at some of its major highlights and chart its course to becoming one of the most prestigious rail providers in the world.

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Indian railways, the east india company, 1853-1869: launching passenger rail services.

Although rail services in India were initially proposed in the 1830s, historians cite 16 April 1853 as the kickstarter for India’s passenger rail revolution. On this date, the country’s first passenger train set off on a 34km journey between Bombay’s BoriBunder station and Thane. It consisted of 14 cars being hauled by three steam locomotives, and carried 400 passengers.

The line was built through an alliance between the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) – incorporated in 1849 – and the East India Company, which at that point ruled large swathes in India. Its success spurred subsequent launches of railways in Eastern India (1854) and South India (1856). Following the opening of the Calcutta-Delhi line in 1864 and the Allahabad-Jabalpur line in 1867, these lines were linked with the GIPR to create a 4,000-mile network spanning the width of India.

This early era of passenger travel was primarily funded by private companies under a guarantee system created by the British Parliament, which ensured they would receive a certain rate of interest on their capital investment. In total, eight railway companies were established between 1855 and 1860, including Eastern India Railway, Great India Peninsula Company, Madras Railway, Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway.

1869-1900: Famine and economic growth

Following the Indian rebellion of 1857 and the subsequent liquidation of the East India Company, the British Raj reigned supreme in India. From 1869-1881, it took control of railway construction from external contractors and increased expansion to help areas struck by famine after intense droughts in the country.  The length of the network reached 9,000 miles by 1880, with lines snaking inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta.

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The 1890s saw the introduction of new passenger amenities, including toilets, gas lamps and electric lighting. By this point the popularity of the railways had skyrocketed and overcrowding led to the creation of a fourth class onboard. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives and by 1896 was able to send its own experts and equipment to assist with the construction of the Uganda Railway.

1901-1925: Moves towards centralisation

After years of construction and financial investment the railways finally began to make a profit in 1901. Nevertheless, it was during the early years of this century that the scale of government intervention increased dramatically. GIPR was the first company to become state-owned in 1900. By 1907, the government had purchased all major lines and began leasing them back to private operators.

The Railway Board was established in 1901, including a government official, an English railway manager and an agent of one of the company railways. In 1905, its powers were formalised by the government under then viceroy Lord Curzon, and the board has grown in size and prominence ever since. Movements were also made towards a more centralised management system, with both GIPR and East Indian Railways (EIR) being nationalised in 1923.

Nevertheless, World War I took its toll on Indian rail development, with production diverted to meet British requirements outside of India. By the end of the war, the network was in a state of disrepair, with many services restricted or downgraded. Railway finances were separated from the general budget in 1924, with the railway receiving its first individual dividend in 1925.

1925-1946: Electrification and hard times

The first electric train ran between Bombay and Kurla on 3 February, 1925, setting a precedent for further electrification in the coming years. By 1929, the railway network had grown to an overall length of 66,000km and carried approximately 620 million passengers and 90 million tonnes of goods annually.

Nevertheless, in the last days of the British Raj, world events continued to play a role in rail activity. The economic depression kick-started by the Wall Street Crash resulted in INR11m being withdrawn from the railway reserve fund. Meanwhile, World War II also stymied railway development, as wagons were extensively commandeered for military movements.

1947-1980: Partition and zonal creation

In 1947, the departure of Britain split the nation in two, causing a ripple effect across the railways as more than 40% of the network was lost to the newly created Pakistan. Two major lines, the Bengal Assam and North Western Railway, were divvied up and isolated from the Indian rail system. In the post-partition furore, violent mobs damaged railway infrastructure and attacked trains carrying refugees.

A few years later, Indian Railways set about manifesting its own destiny, acquiring the majority of control over railway franchises in 1949-1950. In 1951-1952, it began reorganising the network into zones. The first train between India and Pakistan, the Samihauta Express, began running between Amritsar and Lahore in 1976.

Moving into the latter half of the 20 th Century, the railways increasingly made steps towards modernisation. Colonial-era locomotives were replaced with state-of-the art trains, while moves to adopt 25kv AC traction in the 1950s drove set off a new drive towards electrification.

1980-2000: Technology and phasing out steam

The 1980s saw a complete phase-out of steam locomotives, as electrification was spurred on by energy crises in the 1970s. Around 4,500km of track was electrified between 1980 and 1990. Meanwhile, India’s first metro system opened in Calcutta in 1984.

Though economic stagnation and political upheaval blocked growth of the network in the 80s, the 90s saw the opening of the Konkan Railway; a 738km behemoth connecting the western coast of India with the rest of the country.

However, the major revolution of the period came from the world of computing. In particular, the Indian Railways online passenger reservation system was launched in 1985 and gradually introduced at Delhi, Madras, Bombay and Calcutta. This was designed to allow passengers to reserve and cancel accommodation on any train from any terminal – a vital boon for passengers – and was extended with the introduction of the country-wide network of computerised enhanced reservation and ticketing (CONCERT) in 1995.

2000-2017: Moving online

Since 2000, metro stations have continued to pop up in India’s major cities, including Delhi (2002), Bangalore (2011), Gurgaon (2013) and Mumbai (2014). The noughties also saw the creation of the network’s East Coast ,  South Western ,  South East Central ,  North Central  and  West Central Railway zones , in 2002.

Nevertheless, arguably the greatest step forward for IR was the launch of online train reservations and ticketing through its IRCTC system in 2002. Passengers could now book their journeys online or buy tickets from thousands of agents across the country – a necessary addition, considering that passengers had reportedly traversed a distance of more than 4.5 billion kilometres on the railways in the period from 2000-2001.

More recently, the Gatimaan Express , India’s fastest train with a top speed of 160km/h, made its maiden journey from Delhi to Agra on 5 April 2016. And Indian Railways announced on 31 March 2017 that the country’s entire rail network would be electrified by 2022.

2018: The future of Indian Railways

Today, Indian Railways manages the fourth-largest rail network in the world, with tracks spanning more than 120,000km of the country.

The railway is preparing for the future with a number of initiatives. Current Rail Minister Piyush Goyal said in May that free WiFi services would be provided at more than 7,000 stations by 2019, and IR has invested in greener technologies in a bid to meet 25% of its power demand with renewables, primarily solar, by 2025.

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History of Indian Railways

Last updated on September 29, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Indian Railways is the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size and total route length. The history of Indian railways is more than 150 years old. Read here to learn about the history, present, and future of the Indian Railways.

The Indian government owns and operates Indian Railways . A monopoly on the nation’s rail transportation was held by Indian Railways until relatively recently.

Around 750 million tonnes of freight are transported on one of the world’s busiest and biggest rail networks each year, carrying little over six billion people.

Indian Railways employs more than 1.6 million people worldwide, making it the largest commercial or utility employer.

Table of Contents

1832-1837: In Madras, India’s initial railway ideas were made in 1832. Between 1836 and 1837, Arthur Cotton’s Red Hill Railway, which was designed to transport granite for road construction, went from Red Hills to Madras’s Chintadripet Bridge.

The first railway on the Indian sub-continent ran throughout 21 miles from Bombay to Thane.

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1843: The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan, and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.

1853: The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm “amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns.”

1854: The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station destined for Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15th August 1854.

Thus, the first section of the East Indian Railway was opened to public traffic, inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of the sub-continent.

1856: In the south, the first line was opened on 1st July 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Vyasarpadi Jeeva Nilayam (Veyasarpandy) and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles.

1859: In the North, a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3rd March 1859.

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1862: The first Railway Workshop was established at Jamalpur, near Munger, Bihar, in 1862. It gradually became one of the major industrial units of India, with iron and steel foundries, rolling mills, and more.

1864: The north got its first station – the Delhi Junction. The oldest one of the cities, it was a major station and junction and remains so to date.

It was first established near Chandni Chowk in 1864 when trains from Howrah/Calcutta started operating up to Delhi. The current building was made operational in 1903.

1875: The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October 1875.

These were the small beginnings that in due course developed into a network of railway lines all over the country.

By 1880 the Indian Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000 miles.

1880: The Darjeeling Steam Tramway (later the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) started its first section between Siliguri and Kurseong. The line was extended to Darjeeling in 1881.

This Line operated on Narrow Gauge and was accorded World Heritage Status in 1999, the first Railway in Asia to get such a standing.

1895: After four decades of importing ready-made British locomotive parts for assembly, in 1895 the first steam locomotive was manufactured completely in India at the Ajmer Workshop.

1899: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is among the first, and still outstanding, examples of a Hill Passenger Railway. Opened in 1899, it was extended up to Ooty in 1903. It was a bold and ingenious engineering initiative to establish a rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty.

The “engineering marvel” still stands, a testimony to the skills of Railway Engineering. It was accorded World Heritage Status in 2005.

1903: The Kalka Shimla Narrow Gauge Railway opened for traffic in November 1903. This line was accorded World Heritage status in 2008.

Indian railways, the premier transport organization of the country is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second-largest under one management.

1914-20: The railroads were employed to suit British demands outside of India as the First World War broke out. The railways had seen great losses and were in disrepairafterf World War One. In 1920, the government assumed control of the Railways and severed the connection between their funding and other state resources, a practice that is still in place today with a distinct railway budget.

1945-47: Trains were redirected to the Middle East during the Second World War , and railway workshops were turned into weapons factories, severely crippling the railroads. A sizable chunk of the railways was allocated to the then-recently created Pakistan at the time of independence in 1947.

A total of 42 different railway networks, including 32 lines held by the former Indian princely states, were combined to establish the Indian Railways, a unified organization.

1951: The organization of Indian railways into regional zones began in 1951, when the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November 1951), and Western (5 November 1951) zones were created.

National Rail Museum, the first rail museum in India, was established in 1977 at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The Indian Railways now have 33 Museums, Heritage Parks and Galleries spread all across the country.

The railways became popular at an unprecedented speed. The frequency and the number of trains were increasing as more and more people become dependent on its services.

At the same time, there was a need to enhance the safety of the passengers and the number of trains on the track increased. Many instruments were thus developed for better management of railway sections.

Railway Infrastructure

Pamban Bridge is the railway bridge that connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India.

• Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India’s first sea bridge.
• The rail bridge is, for the most part, a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers, but has a double-leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through.

One of the latest challenges undertaken by the Indian Railways is the building of the steel arch bridge over the Chenab in Jammu.

The history of Indian Railways spans over 160 years since its existence, the Railways in India have grown and expanded by leaps and bounds, yet there are still unchartered territories to cover. Slowly but steadily the railways are connecting every part of India, which with the constant innovations in technology is much easier to do today than it was before.

Though the newer generation is more used to air travel and automobiles, the railways must continue to grow; because even with all the other options available, the experience of an Indian train ride will remain unparalleled and continue to enthrall people for generations to come.

Today, Indian Railways manages the fourth-largest rail network in the world, with tracks spanning more than 120,000km of the country.

The railway is preparing for the future with several initiatives. Free WiFi services were envisaged to be provided at more than 7,000 stations by 2019, and Railways has invested in greener technologies in a bid to meet 25% of its power demand with renewables, primarily solar, by 2025.

Related article:  Socio-economic effects of Railways worldwide

­ -Article written by Swathi Satish

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The 1846 plan for India's first Railway line

By Kalakriti Archives

Dr. Alex Johnson

India's first railway opened in 1853, a 32 km line between Bombay and Thane. However, there was an earlier plan to build a line from Calcutta to Delhi, and this rare map from 1846, which helped hail the rise of Modern India, was prepared for the East India Railway Company's initial survey.

Map of the East Indian Railway (1846) by George Stephenson Kalakriti Archives

The construction of the railway system across India during the second half of the 19th Century utterly transformed the subcontinent’s society, communications and economy. Disparate regions that were separated by journeys that could last weeks could now take a few days, if not hours.

Peoples and cultures that historically had little contact with one another could now easily interact. Products in rural India that languished far from market could now be brought swiftly to cities and ports.

Map of the East Indian Railway, Showing the Line proposed to be constructed to connect Culcutta with the North West Provinces and the intermediate Civil & Military Stations, to accompany the report of the Managing Director of the East Indian Railway, 1849 by Unknown Kalakriti Archives

From a political perspective, it also allowed the British colonial regime to quickly move troops and civil servants around the country, solidifying its control over India.

The first railway completed in India was a 21 mile-long line of track running between Bombay and Thane, which opened in 1853. While seemingly a modest breakthrough, everyone knew that it was the prelude to a revolution – a pan-Indian Railway network.

In 1845, the East Indian Railway Company was formed with the objective of building a line from Calcutta to Delhi. Such a railway would connect the Company Raj’s capital with the ancient Mughal capital and would serve to unite India’s most populous regions.

The Gangetic Plain was India’s breadbasket and many cities such as Kanpur and Allahabad were increasingly important industrial centres.

The railway promised that, for the first time, products and peoples could be easily transported down through the plains and even to the seaport of Calcutta. The potential was enormous, and, if the railway were realized, it would dramatically transform Northern and Northeastern India.

The East Indian Railway Company was officially floated on 1 June 1845 with £4 million in investment capital – an enormous sum for the time.

Rowland Macdonald Stephenson (1808-95), an experienced railway engineer, was chosen as the Company’s first managing director. Stephenson and three surveyors immediately headed to Calcutta, arriving in July 1845.

George Huddleston, a later Director General of the Railway noted, Stephenson proceeded “with diligence and discretion which cannot be too lightly recommended, to survey the line from Calcutta to Delhi, through Mirzapore [Mirzapur], and so great and persevering were the exertions of himself and Staff that, in April, 1846, the surveys of the whole line were completed; important statistical information obtained and an elaborate report transmitted to your Directors in London.”

Copies of Stephenson’s manuscript surveys were given to the firm of the J. & C. Walker, the official mapmakers to the British East India Company (EIC). The Walker firm grafted Stephenson’s plotted proposed route of the railway onto one of its own existing general topographical maps depicting Central and Northern India, and printed the present bespoke map. Copies of the map were then supplied to the Directors to accompany Stephenson’s report.

The map is extremely rare as only a very small number of examples were ever issued. Nevertheless, it would have then served a very important role as the only authoritative graphic representation of the railway.

The East India Company, once an ambitious and hyperactive organization, by this time was beset by institutional fatigue and a lack of funds. While it recognized the value of the railways to India’s future, it proved too tired to provide any leadership and ended up presenting only bureaucratic obstacles to the railway builders. It was no surprise that following the Uprising of 1857 that Queen Victoria would put the “Honourable Company” out of its misery and replace it with Crown rule over India.

After three years of delays, in 1849, the EIC finally allowed the East Indian Railway Company to build an “experimental line” from Calcutta to Rajmahal (Jharkhand), a length of 100 miles.

In 1850, Stephenson appointed George Turnbull (1809-89), a highly experienced Scottish railway engineer, to lead the construction efforts. Turnbull would later gain great acclaim as the “First Railway Engineer of India”. Turnbull proceeded to survey the exact line of the new route and to design the Howrah Terminus, across the Hooghly from Calcutta, which, with 23 platforms, would soon become the largest rail station in Asia. Construction commenced in 1851 and proceeded slowly due to supply problems and the continued lack of cooperation from the EIC. The first stretch of line from Howrah to Hooghly, only 23 miles long, was opened for traffic in 1854. The construction then continued in the direction of Rajmahal.

Progress was further retarded by the Uprising of 1857, during which many supplies and pieces of track were stolen. A cholera epidemic in 1859 killed over 4,000 railway workers. Yet, the project still moved forward. The biggest technical obstacle that lay ahead was building a bridge over the 1-mile wide breadth of the Son River, the Ganges' largest southern tributary. This bridge (today’s Koillar or Abdul Bari Bridge) would turn out to be a great feat of engineering, being the longest bridge in India built before 1900. Commenced in 1856, it was not finished until 1862.

The line running all the way from Howrah to Benares was opened in 1862.

Another section of the line was being built separately along the Ganges Valley, with a line connecting Kanpur to Allahabad being completed in 1860, while Benares and Allahabad were connected in 1863. By 1866, all gaps between Howrah and Delhi were filled in and direct service along the entire line commenced.

Meanwhile, the pioneering, yet tiny, Bombay-Thane line had grown into the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. By 1870, it ran from Bombay to Allahabad, connecting the two great railways and making it was possible to traverse India in only a few days.

While the rail system had the effect of tightening the British Raj’s grip over India, over time, by allowing Indians from different parts of the country to easily interact with each other, it contributed towards fostering a coherent sense of national identity. In this way, it was a critical precondition to rise of the Indian Independence movement. Today, the custodian of the integrated national railway system, Indian Railways, employs over 1.3 million people, runs 151,000 km of track, and operates over 7,000 stations.

Author: Dr. Alex Johnson References 1. Cf. George Huddleston, George (1906), History of the East Indian Railway , (Calcutta, 1906) 2. Hena Mukherjee (1995), The Early History of the East Indian Railway 1845–1879 , (Calcutta, 1995) 3. M.A. Rao, Indian Railways , (New Delhi, 1988)

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Transportation History

Finding the unexpected in the everyday.

Today in Transportation History – 1854: The First Passenger Railway Train in Eastern India

The first passenger railway train in eastern India (at the time under the rule of the British East India Company) steamed out of the present-day city of Howrah at 8:30 a.m. for the city of Hooghly. The trip took a total of 91 minutes.

This segment of the East Indian Railway Company – ultimately known as only the East Indian Railway – covered approximately 24 miles. The segment was officially opened about 16 months after India’s first passenger train, in the service of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, had made its inaugural run between the cities of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and Tannah (now called Thane) in the western region of the subcontinent.

The Company’s first train to run between Howrah and Hooghly included three first-class and two second-class coaches as well as three trucks for third-class passengers. All of these cars had been built there in India. This was because the ship transporting the original cars from England had sunk en route to India. The train’s locomotive was successfully imported to India, but only after undergoing its own unique set of challenges; due to a navigational error, the ship carrying the locomotive initially sailed to Australia instead and had to be redirected to India. The train was filled to capacity for the inaugural trip from Howrah to Hooghly, with more than 3,000 people having applied for the honor of riding in the first passenger train to travel in eastern India.

Scottish-born George Turnbull was the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the East Indian Railway Company line. His efforts on behalf of the Company and other railways in that part of the world earned him acclaim as the First Railway Engineer of India.

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Did the First Train in the Country Run on This Very Day Back in 1851?

On 22nd December India witnessed a landmark train journey.

D ecember 22nd is a landmark date. The first train in India, made its maiden journey, to solve the irrigation woes of farmers—allegedly.

This potentially disrupts the earlier claim that the first train ran in 1853, between Mumbai and Thane. The 1853 train journey was a commercial one, making it the first commercial train journey.

An old book, ‘Report on Ganga Canal’ published in 1860, authored by PT Cautley, says the first train was bought from Britain in 1851 and began its maiden journey in the same year. The book itself dealt with a plan to construct a canal on the Ganga.

The vast amount of clay which was needed for the said construction, was available in Piran Kaliyar area, 10 km away from Roorkee. Necessity gave way to innovation, as the engineers required to transport clay.

This fact was chanced upon by Yogendra Singh, a librarian in IIT Roorkee, who was perusing its rich collection of books. He then conveyed this information to Prof. Prem Vrat, the former Director of the institute.

The book, published in London in 1860, mentions that the train’s engine was brought from England in 1851 and named after the executive engineer, Thompson, credited with the plan to run a train on that route.

You may also like:-  Did You Know? The World’s Oldest Working Steam Loco Is Right Here in India?

The train had two bogies, with a capacity to carry 180-200 tonnes of material. The train used to cover a distance of 2.5 miles in 38 minutes between Roorkee and Piran Kaliyar with a speed of four miles an hour. It operated for nine months till the engine caught fire in 1852. Thankfully, construction of the canal construction had been completed by that time.

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The Story of India's 1st Railways: Complete History and some interesting facts.

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A Journey between Bombay to Thane

When did the first passenger train start in the eastern, southern, and northern regions of india, some interesting facts related to indian railways.

The first railway workshop was established in 1862 in Jamalpur, near Munger of Bihar. It also established its own Iron and Steel Foundry as there was limited industrial development at that time. Most importantly, The Jamalpur Workshop has commissioned the first Rolling Mill in Asia.

The foundation of the Delhi Junction was established in 1864. It is the oldest junction in the city. It was established near the area of Chandni Chowk and from then onwards it is amongst the most important junctions of the country. Another important railway station was Lucknow. It was the headquarters of two cities, Awadh and Rohilkhand in Uttar Pradesh. The first line between Lucknow and Kanpur was started in April 1867.

In the year 1880, Darjilling Steam Tramway(now Darjilling Himalayan Railway)  was inaugurated. The train started between the stations of Siliguri and Kurseong in 1881. It got recognition as World Heritage Site in 1999 and became the only train that got such acclamation in the whole of Asia.

The introduction of railways revolutionized the system of traveling, transportation, commerce, and trade in India. It was one of the greatest signs of progression and development. The railways till today's date hold up its paramount importance in our country. 

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History of the Indian Railways and the First Train In India

On April 16, 1853, the first passenger train in India ran from Mumbai’s Bori Bunder to Thane, Maharashtra. So, look at this blog to explore the history of Indian railways, including industrial railways, passenger trains, and the story of electrification and modernization. The running of first train in India was a historic day, and 400 lucky passengers got opportunity for this once-in-a-lifetime excursion. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was the first to run a train.

History of the First Train in India

In 1832, the idea of creating a railway system in India was first proposed. Train travel in Britain was still in its infancy at the time, but the East India Company saw the significance of creating a comprehensive rail network. Lord Hardinge, who is a Governor-General of India at that time. He permitted private entrepreneurs to build a rail system. Two companies, i.e., “Great Indian Peninsula Railway” and the “East Indian Railway Company,” were established in 1845.

Alos, read: Top 10 Fastest Trains in India

The first railway in India went from Bori Bunder to Thane, covering approximately 34 kilometers. In 1880, a network of roughly 14,500 kilometers was developed around the three major port towns of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. The Railway Board was established in 1901 under the Department of Commerce and Industry’s direction. Regardless, the Viceroy was given authority.

History of Indian Railways

1832–1852: industrial railways, 1853–1924: passenger railways and expansion, 1925–1946: electrification and further expansion, 1951–1983: zonal re-organization and further developments, railrecipe, an irctc-authorized e-catering service provider.

RailRecipe is the No.1 food delivery in train service provider. It is well-known for providing cuisine from top-tier restaurants to train passengers at a substantial discount and on-time delivery.  Order your first meal from RailRecipe app and get a bumper discount.

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Indian passenger train commemorates 160 years

The experiment yielded fruitful results, a 5.6 km rail line was laid between Red Hills and St. Thomas Mount. On 22 december 1851, the first train chugged on its way to Roorkee.The success of the train paved the way for the passenger train.

16 April, 1853 the first passenger train covered the historic distance between Bori Bunder in Mumbai and Thane. The experimental distance was 34 kms with the aid of three locomotives Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan.

The 21 minute journey set off a milestone with the passenger train commemorating 160 years of seamless travel. The historic ride was enjoyed by 400  invited passengers in 14 carriages.

The train which began at 3:30 pm was flagged off by Lord John Elphinstone who was the governor.The Indian Railway Association was begun by Sir Jansetjee Jeejeebhoy and Jaganath Shunkerseth in 1845.

India stands 4th as the largest railway network in the world

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Life Aboard the Longest Train Ride Through India

Beneath the relentless churn of steel, wood, and dust, the Indian railway is made entirely of stories.

Beneath the relentless churn of steel, wood, and dust, the Indian railway is made entirely of stories. For more than a century, it has witnessed the infinite expression of the human condition, borne the incalculable weight of separations, and gently rocked the world-weary into oblivion.

“It’s fresh and beautiful and repulsive at the same time,” says National Geographic photographer Matthieu Paley , who spent five days and four nights aboard the Vivek Express documenting its ever-unfolding story. Starting at the southernmost tip of India , the route stretches 2,637 miles northward from Kanniyakumari to Dibrugarh under the heavy gaze of the equatorial sun. It is the longest train ride in the Indian subcontinent.

“People want time,” Paley says. “We live in a world that wants to compress time and make things faster and faster, and I love the train because it’s an environment where you have to slow down.”

The Dibrugarh-Kanniyakumari Vivek Express stops 58 times on its long journey.

The “slow travel” movement can be traced back to the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, an epoch defined by unprecedented acceleration, the omnipresence of technology, and commodification of time. The Romantics warned this modern fixation on speed was a self-made “ iron cage ” that would lead to alienation, loss of meaning, and an unwillingness towards self-reflection. The remedy, they proposed, was deceleration.

“My favorite kind of photography happens when I slow down; but these days it’s not easy,” Paley says. “On trains, I am held hostage, disconnected, suspended in time. It forces me to slow down. This is what I crave: Give me a long, slow ride and I am happy.”

The experience of time, however, hinges entirely upon our continuously evolving perceptions of speed. While rail travel may be slow by contemporary standards, when India’s first train traversed 21 miles from Bombay to Thana in April 1853, it was a triumph of engineering and criticized for the same reasons set forth by the Romantics.

Over the next century and a half, the railway not only drastically altered Indian culture, but restructured time and space itself.

On trains, I am held hostage, disconnected, suspended in time. Matthieu Paley

Considered both a transformative technology and a symbol of British imperial oppression, the railway erased once-formidable distances, generated trade and intellectual exchange, and made travel accessible to the masses. Simultaneously, however, it fostered environments that bred infectious disease, created exploitative labor conditions, and irrevocably altered the natural landscape.

British colonists viewed the train as a harbinger of progress—a tool to abolish the caste system and forge a capitalist society. Instead, it evolved into a space that was invariably Indian: beauty and chaos in tandem.

“The Indian subcontinent can be a disturbing place,” Paley says. “There is a certain lightness of being, but it’s hard to spot at first, hidden under all the noise and ongoing colorful madness. That’s what I love about this part of the world—you can just engage with your surroundings without sounding weird.”

This unflinching engagement is fundamental to slow travel, which places value on quality of interactions with local cultures over the rapid acquisition of passport stamps. This ideal hearkens back to the Romantic belief that preoccupation with the future corrupts the present journey.

Scientists agree that industrialized societies are experiencing a paradoxical “ time famine ”—the persistent feeling that we have too much to do, and not enough time to accomplish it—and that this interferes with our ability to savor immaterial experiences. We’re doing everything faster, but we don’t feel like we have more free time.

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As India hurtles ceaselessly into the future, it’s unclear what the next generation of train travel will look like. With the support of a 12-billion-dollar loan from Japan, the government is currently developing a high speed bullet train that will connect the cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. "This enterprise will launch a revolution in Indian railways and speed up India's journey into the future,” according to Prime Minster Narendra Modi. “It will become an engine of economic transformation.”

In West Bengal, a man bathes in a river near his home. Paley also had time to wash his own shirt before the train departed again.

This is, perhaps, the duality of modernization—it has the potential to drastically improve lives while simultaneously engendering spiritual atrophy.

Henry David Thoreau prescribed “a tonic of wildness” to escape the voracious pace of urbanization. But in a country of 1.3 billion, wildness is a state of mind—a willingness to confront life in all its messy iterations. With more than 22 million daily passengers, 1.3 million employees, and 41,000 miles of tracks, the Indian railway teems with life.

“We are a collective mass moving along in rhythm, shaking, ever-evolving,” Paley says. “If you pay attention, you can engage with the pure joy of traveling. For me, it is the feeling of being united with all our differences.”

If you pay attention, you can engage with the pure joy of traveling. For me, it is the feeling of being united with all our differences. Matthieu Paley

Matthieu Paley's work has been featured in National Geographic magazine and news . See photos from his journey through China by train and follow him on Instagram @paleyphoto .

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History of Indian Railways – 1853 to 2018

• 22 May 2023
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Indian Railways is the fourth largest railway system in the world. The system was established in the 19th century and serves thousands of tourists and locals every day. India's first passenger train traveled from Mumbai to Tana, carrying a total of 400 passengers and 1.6 kilometers. From there, Indian Railways has developed into a superpower industry.

Today India is synonymous with transportation, but budget-friendly and the common man is "Indian Railways", where on the one hand we have ordinary railways. Every day, the railway sector in India is making new progress and has many high-speed and luxury trains in India. Now we have moved from simple trains to bullet trains.

History Of Railways

Let us dive into the history of Indian rails starting from the mid of 19th century, the colonial time of India under British to today’s Nano technology era of 21th century.

Suggested Read:  Train 18 – Interesting Things About India’s Fastest Train

1853 – 1869

Although the concept of railway system entered India in 1850 , trains came to India in 1853 only. There were many political barricades to cross in acquiring land, resource, labor and others. The first train had only 14 cars. Controlled by East India Company, the system gradually grew and made additional lines like Calcutta – Delhi , Allahabad – Jabalpur and others. By the end of this era, Indian Railways covered 4000 miles in area.

Check Here Luxury Train Maharajas Express Fare

By 1860, eight railway companies were launched in the country including Eastern India Railway, Madras Railway, Great India Peninsula Company and others. Most of these companies were approved and commissioned by the then kings of India.

Must Read:  New Rules Set by Indian Railways for Hassle-free Traveling!

1870 – 1900

This reign liquidated many companies and external contractors were hired for controlling the railway. The length of the railway system reached 9000 miles in this region, mainly around Bombay , Calcutta and Madras. By the end of 1890, the trains started to gain many amenities like toilet, electric lights and others. The mountain trains, now called as the toy trains were first proposed in 1854.

However, the first mountain train started its maiden trip on 1881. The first mountain train of the country is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. Later, many other mountain train routes were linked connecting highland towns with the rest of the country.  ( Source)

First toilets were introduced in the first class coaches in 1891. Only by 1907, the lower classes were provided toilets.

1901 – 1925

By the beginning of this century, Indian Railways started to make profit. Under the rule of Lord Curzon, the railway department started to flourish. East Indian Railways and GIPR were nationalized by the end of this reign.

During the First World War, the service of Indian railways degraded monumentally. The fund and other resources of the railway department were routed to the war needs by the British government in India.

Also Read :  Why British Introduced Railways in India?

This era saw the first electrical train. The size of the system grew and started serving an average of 620 million passengers, each year. During the final years of British rule, the railway department was financially crashing as, people preferred wagons instead of rails.

Also Read :  10 Most Busiest Railway Stations in India

After Independence and separation of states, numerous rail routes were built to connect different regions. The first train between India and Pakistan started in 1951. All the trains were electrified and modernized. This was the bloom period for Indian Railways .

In 1982, the first enquiry counter was set up in Mumbai suburban station to indicate the upcoming trains. It was a crude manual system in which the staffs turned the clock hands to denote the next train timing, every 2-3 minutes.

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Technology started to gain more momentum and metro system started in India. The major revolution of Indian Railway , luxury train started in India. The run of luxury train started with Palace on Wheels in 1982 by Government of Rajasthan and Tourism department of India .

Must Read:  The Origin Of Luxury Trains – How They Started A Revolution

Below, you will find a detailed history of luxury train in India . By 1995, the countrywide network provided reservation and ticketing system to Indian railways.

2000-present day

Metros and monorails are thriving within cities. Online ticketing system started in 2000's and is one of the major ways of booking train ticket , today. 4.5 billion km was additionally covered in just ten years (2001-2010). Now, the train tracks cover more than 120,000 km of area in India and special amenities like Wi-Fi, customer information system, ergogenic designs and green technologies have taken Indian Railways to the next level.

Also Read : How To Make Reservation In Indian Railway?

Recent developments of railway system include technological amenities in unreserved class , high horsepower electric locomotive, GPS based passenger information system, sliding doors, private catering services and many others. ( Source)

There is always a next step for Indian Railway. By 2019, more than 7000 stations around the world would receive free Wi-Fi service. The technology team is diving deep into finding greener source of powers. 

2018 - Forth Largest Rail Network in the World

Today, the Indian Railways manages the track more than 120,000 km of the country. The changing face of Indian Railways is preparing for the future with the much more initiative. The current Rail Minister "Piyush Goyal" of Indian Railways said in May the free WiFi services would be provided at more than 7,000 stations in 2019.

Also Read:  World-Class! Indian Railways to Transform Stations into Airport-like Transit Hubs

Indian Railway Zones

Interesting statistics about indian railways.

• Today, more than 14,300 trains run every day. Prior to Independence, there were a mere 42 trains in the country . The total distance covered by all the trains is 3 ½ times the distance between Earth and Moon.
• Indian Railways carry more than 23 million people every day and the system employs more than a million people.
• The longest railway platform of the world is located in Gorakhpur of India (4,483 ft length).
• The longest distance covered by an Indian train is 3,715 km by Vivek Express. It takes 71 hours to complete one journey. The shortest route is covered between Nagpur and Ajni, which is just three km.
• The oldest train of the world , still working is located in India. Fairy Queen of 1855 is still on tracks.

About the Journey of Indian Railways

India's first railway line was laid between Roorkee to Piran Collier during the British period. The first steam engine was used on this railway line. The British had their meaning behind this, but they laid the railway line.

There was a severe drought in the northwestern province of British India between 1837–1838. Currently, this location is known by Uttar Pradesh. Due to the drought, the East India Company had to spend around one crore rupees in relief operations in the North West Province at that time. As a result, the then British government began preparations to build a canal from the Ganges in drought-prone areas.

Indian Railways Construction

The responsibility of constructing this canal was entrusted to Colonel Cottle. The British started preparing, but the path was not easy. Removing the canal over the Sonaliriver en route was a matter of greatest dilemma for the British engineers.

In such a situation, Kottle planned to drain the canal from over the river by constructing the Sonali aqueduct.

British engineers started the construction of the bridge and during the excavation huge amount of debris came out from here. The British planned to dump this debris in Kaliyar, but it was not easy to carry so much debris at that time. The problem was that with horses and mules, it would cost too much time with heavy costs.

In such a situation, Kotel decided to build a railway for this purpose. To this end, he ordered equipment from London.

Experts from London built engines and four wagons in Roorkee itself. British engineers laid the railway line here and on 22 December 1851, the debris with the help of a steam engine on this line was transported to Kaliyar for the first time.

Indian Railway Developments

Indian Railways has introduced various schemes to further improve its services. These plans have been widely inspired. Railways have been upgraded from meter gauge train to broad gauge. Research Design and Standards Organization in Lucknow, which was the largest railway research organization in the world in 1957. It is regularly improving technology as well as signaling coach interiors, systems, layout, track design, etc. For better ride comfort and efficiency.

Indian Railway Services

Day by day many routes are adding in the Indian Railway network and its services. At present time India Railway has a route of more than 66,687 km.

This is about 119,630 km of total track and about 92,081 km of running track. In 2015–2016, it was estimated that around 13,313 passenger trains are operated daily by the Indian Railways. Indian Railways has developed several types of trains for passengers. They are heritage train or toy train on narrow gauge hill section, luxury train, express train or long-distance train, metro railway or underground rail system like Kolkata Metro and Delhi Metro, etc.

Indian Railway Opportunity

At present, there are 17 Indian railway zones and a total of 69 divisions are divided under them. Indian railway stations are being given the size of larger campuses and apart from having common facilities like retiring rooms and restaurants, they are now included in large office areas. Bridges on platforms are now being replaced by underground passageways, which provide more space. Indian Railways is improving and enhancing the adoption of world-class standards to provide all possible facilities to the passengers.

The fastest train in India at present is Vande Bharat Express.

Budget-Friendly Ride, Train and its Ticket

Indian Railways is possibly the cheapest railway in the world. The fare is charged by the railways at the rate of 10 paise per km, while the fare in buses is around 10 times more i.e. Rs 1 per km. This is the reason that trains are very crowded due to being in budget. People are packed in compartments. There is no vacant space in any category during the festival of war and marriage and summer vacation. Waiting becomes very long

Three types of Trains and their Facilities

Generally, 3 types of trains are run for public convenience. These are - Passenger, Express and Mail (Express).

From these trains, the passenger train fare is the lowest. Express costs more than that and Mail (Express) charges the highest.

General bogie (second class) fare is the lowest, while in sleeper it is more and AC fare is the highest.

General bogey has simple facilities. The sleeper has some good and sleeping facilities from the general, while the AC coach provides 'A' class facilities including air conditioning.

History of Luxury Trains in India

Trains were introduced to India by British. Back then, every train had a luxury saloon for the royals of the land and British rulers. The trains never belonged to any of the kings of India. However, the royal saloons were dedicated to the blue bloods of the land. The locals were never allowed to board in this luxury saloon. The most prestigious luxury train of the country during British Rule is the Indian Imperial Mail. It ran between Calcutta and Bombay.

In 1933, this luxury train was put on track for a four-week itinerary covering Calcutta (former Kolkata), Darjeeling, Benaras (former Varanasi), Lucknow, Cawnpore (now Kanpur), Agra , Delhi , Lahore (now in Pakistan), Amritsar, Peshawar (now in Pakistan), Jaipur , Udaipur and Bombay (now Mumbai). Later, 7 days long itinerary and ten days long itineraries were also provided. Many regular trains also started to have a few tourist saloons in them, later.

After Independence, these luxury saloons were left to rust as the kingdom rule fell in the country. During 1980's , the government of Rajasthan took an initiative to re-use these luxury saloons to create the first tourism luxury train Palace on Wheels to promote tourism in Rajasthan. Today, the Palace on Wheels provide a much clarified and tuned itinerary in just eight days and seven nights .

Check out the link to book Palace On Wheels Tickets

Frequently Asking Questions

Q. Who founded the Indian Railways?

A.  Indian Railways was found by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy. The association was built with the partnership of Hon. JagannathShunkerseth in 1845.

Q. When was the railway introduced in India?

A.  In 16 April 1853, the first Indian passenger train was run from BoriBunder to Thane with 400 people. The train was carrying 14 carriage.

Q. Why was British railway introduced in India?

A.  British believed that Railway will help in the economic development of India. According to them, it provided them the market for British goods and it also became a source of raw materials.

Q. Who laid the first railway line in India?

A.  The first Railway line was laid between Bombay to Thane on 16 th April 1853, is said to be laid by Lord Dalhousie.

Q. Who is the founder of the train?

A.  The train was invented by Richard Trevithick in 1804, he was a British engineer. He was born in Cornwall. Later George Stephenson gave train infrastructure and called as the father of train.

Q. What year did Indian Railways start?

A.  16 April 1853. From Mumbai (BoriBunder) to Thane. Till now Indian Railways has celebrated 165 year of success.

Q. Who is known as the father of Indian Railways?

A.  Lord Dalhousie, former Governor-General of India is known as the father of Indian Railways.

Q. Which was the first railway in India?

A.  The name of the first Railway in India is Sahib. It ran between Mumbai to Thane carrying 14 carriage and 400 passengers. It had 3 locomotive steam: Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.

Q. When was the first train ran in India?

A.  Roorkee to PiranKaliyar on December 22, 1851, was the first ever train ran in India. This train was the goods train only. It was used to supply clay from Priam Kaliyar to Roorkee, which is at 10 km distance from each other.

Q. When did the first electric train run in India?

A.  February 3, 1925, between Bombay to Kurla in distance of 16kms.

Q. When were different Zones created in Indian Railways?

A.  In 1951 when legislation was passed for the Central Government allowing them to take over an independent railway system.

Further Read:

• Indian Railways to Introduce Shri Ramayana Express
• Indian Railways is Getting World-Class with Train 18
• Indian Railways to Launch Fastest Trains in India – Train 18 & Train 20
• Tejas Express Offers Luxury Train Travel from Chennai And Madurai
• Ramayana Express Trains for Madurai, Rajkot and Jaipur

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The best way to see India is at ground level on the incredible Indian railway system, not from 35,000 feet.  Experience the bustle of Indian railway stations and a comfortable journey on an Indian express train with the tea seller's cry of Chai, chai, garam chai wafting down the aisle.  Forget media images of crowded local trains with people sitting on the roof.  In an AC Chair Car or AC1 or AC2 sleeper on an express, all seats & berths are reserved and it’s safe, civilised, inexpensive & comfortable.  Even journeys such as Mumbai to Delhi or Delhi to Jaisalmer can be covered time-effectively by overnight sleeper, centre to centre, saving a hotel bill too.  Book Indian train tickets online at 12go.asia

Useful country information

Train routes & maps.

India's passenger rail network is the third biggest in the world after Russia and China, with 63,000 km of rail routes and 6,800 stations.  In terms of passenger kilometres, it's the biggest in the world.  Indian Railways are the world's biggest employer, with over 1.5 million staff.

The trains in India go almost everywhere, and it's generally safe to assume that you can travel between any two Indian cities or major towns by train, the length and breadth of the country.

Most of India's rail network is broad gauge with rails 5' 6" apart, wider than standard gauge (4' 8½") used in Europe, allowing Indian trains to be wider than European trains.  Parts of the country such as Rajasthan used to be served by an extensive metre-gauge network, but most metre-gauge routes have now been converted to broad gauge.  A few hill railway such as Kalka-Simla and New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling use narrow gauge, either 2' or 2' 6".

For an Indian railways route map see surveyofindia.gov.in/files/Railway map_Eng_C.jpg (please let me know if this stops working).

Also try www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/india-railway-map.htm , or indiarailinfo.com/atlas .

Back to top

How to check train times & fares

It can be easiest to check train schedules & fares for the main tourist routes at agency website 12go.asia , this can also sell you a ticket, hassle-free.

For train times & fares for any journey in India use www.indianrail.gov.in .

This is one of the various official Indian Railways websites, an amazing site but a little bewildering, not helped by there being another official site, www.indianrailways.gov.in .  It's a good training course for your travels in India.

To check train times, look for Reserved Train Between Stations at the top of their home page.

To check fares, first find a train and note the train number, then click Fare enquiry at the top of their home page.

To check availability over various dates, first find a train and note the train number, then click Seat availability at the top of their home page.

Or download an app for your phone.  There are many apps to choose from, the official IRCTC apps seem unavailable outside India so try these 3rd-party apps for checking Indian train times on the go.  They're ad-heavy, but they work, I find Ixigo the best.

Indian Rail IRCTC for iPhone or Indian Rail IRCTC for Android .

Ixigo for iPhone or Ixigo for Android .

You can also buy the famous Trains at a Glance timetable booklet for 100 rupees at any station bookstall (it makes a great souvenir), or click here to download the pages you need for free .  This shows times in printed form for most major stations on all the main routes.

Tips for checking Indian train times

Which station in which city .

Kashmir originally had no rail connection, but a line to Srinagar and beyond has now been completed with more under construction.  The line heads through tough terrain, and features the highest railway bridge in the world.  Srinagar's station code is SINA (not to be confused with another smaller Srinagar in Rajasthan with station code SNAR).

Khajuraho (a much-visited temple complex) now has a station, station code KURJ.  There's a daily overnight train called the Kurukshetra-Khajuraho Express leaving New Delhi station at 18:20, picking up at Agra Cantonment around 21:35 and arriving in Khajuraho at 08:00 next morning.  It  returns from Khajuraho at 18:35 arriving New Delhi at 08:45.

Example train times

Example fares from delhi.

£1 = 105 Rupees, €1 = 90 Rupees, $1 = 82 Rupees.

Shatabdi Express = Premier daytime train, special fare payable, meals included.

Rajdhani Express = Premier overnight train, special fare payable, meals included.

Child fares on Indian trains since April 2016:   Children aged 0 to 4 inclusive travel free.  Children aged 5 to 11 inclusive travel at half fare if they do not take up a reserved seat or berth, but as from April 2016 they must pay the adult fare if they travel with their own reserved seat or berth.  I do not recommend that any child aged 5 to 11 travels without their own seat or berth in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair car or Sleeper Class, so this effectively means you must now pay the adult fare for children aged 5 and over.  Children aged 12 and over pay the adult fare in all cases.

Classes explained

Which class to choose.

Above, a typical long-distance express or mail train with older carriages (not a premier Rajdhani or Duronto express).  You can just make out 3 cars in the centre of the train with different windows.  These are the AC cars, perhaps one AC1, one AC2 & one AC3 car.  The rest of the train is Sleeper class.  Courtesy of Albert Höchst.

Types of train

Which train to choose.

Executive Chair (EC) class on a Vande Bharat Express.  These are India's most modern trains, capable of 160 km/h (100 mph) & used at up to 130 km/h (80 mph).  See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vande_Bharat_Express .  Photos courtesy of Nonstop Eurotrip , see video of Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Express .

AVL, CNF, RAC & Waitlist

You need a reservation to travel on Indian long-distance trains, you can't just turn up and hop on.  Reservations are fully computerised using the world's largest computer reservation system.  Trains get fully-booked weeks in advance, so buy tickets as far ahead as possible.

When do bookings open?

Bookings for most Indian long-distance trains currently open 120 days before departure.

It was 60 days until 2008, when it was experimentally extended to 90 days, then it was experimentally extended even further to 120 days in 2012, reduced again to 60 days in 2013 to make ticket 'scalping' by agencies harder, but restored to 120 days as from 1 April 2015. 

Some short-distance inter-city trains may open for bookings less than this, for example Delhi-Kalka & Kalka-Simla may open only 30 days or in some cases just 15 days ahead.

The remarkable Indian Railways system

Indian Railways have a unique system with 4 possible statuses for seats/berths/bookings:

AVL = Available , these are seats or berths that are unsold and available for booking.

CNF = Confirmed .  When you book an available seat or berth, your PNR status (Personal Name Record) becomes CNF, confirmed.  You're safely booked on the train with a specific seat or berth.

RAC = Reservation Against Cancellation .  When all the seats or berths on a train in a given class have been sold, a certain number of tickets in that class are sold as Reservation Against Cancellation, or RAC.

WL = Waitlist .  When all the RAC places have been sold, further prospective passengers can buy Waitlist (WL) tickets.

If you go to www.indianrail.gov.in & click Seat availability you can see how many seats remain available in each class on a given train.

For example, today is 26 January, let's say I want to go from Delhi to Kolkata on the best train, the overnight Howrah Rajdhani in AC 2-tier. Tomorrow's train is fully-booked in AC2 and shown as NOT AVAILABLE.  I can buy Waitlisted tickets for this train on 28 and 29 January.  I can buy RAC tickets on any day between 30 January & 5 February and if I buy those I can definitely board the train and travel with (in practice) maybe a 90% chance of ending up with a berth to myself.  The first day on which AC 2-tier is shown as AVL so I can buy a ticket and instantly get a confirmed berth is 6 February.  The Foreign Tourist quota would help me here, there are 7 or 8 FT quota places shown as AVL every day from 27 January onwards, but I'll explain that in the quotas section .

Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC)

With an RAC ticket, you're allowed to board the train and travel.  Whatever happens, you know you're safely booked on that train.  So if you're offered an RAC ticket you should take it, even though you won't have a specific seat or berth number at this stage.

In the vast majority of cases, one of the confirmed passengers will cancel or unsold tickets will be left in one of the more obscure quotas on departure day and you'll be promoted from RAC to CNF with a confirmed seat or berth on the train.

Your name will then be shown against a specific seat or berth number on the reservation list pinned on the notice board at the boarding station on the day of travel when the train is charted , or you can check your PNR (Personal Name Record) status online .  A waitlisted passenger will be promoted from WL to RAC in your place.

In the unlikely event that nobody cancels, you'll be given a place to sit (but not a berth) in a carriage of the class you've booked.  For example, two RAC passengers might be given seats on a bunk that would normally be for one person.  In most cases, at least one of the confirmed passengers will fail to show up for the train and the on-board staff will allocate their berth to the passenger holding ticket RAC1.  The passenger holding ticket RAC2 will then be left with a berth to themselves, solving two RAC passengers' problems!  In the worst case scenario, if there were no no-shows the RAC passengers would have to sit up all night or take turns using the berth to snooze, but in practice this seldom happens.  Like I said, if an RAC place is available, you should take it.

A downside of buying RAC tickets as a couple, family or small group is that you might be split up, because you get the places freed up when people cancel or which are left when tickets remain unsold in special quotas.  But there's usually only one or two AC2 or AC3 cars on a given train, so in those classes you probably won't be far apart.

Incidentally, RAC tickets exist in AC2, AC3 & SL, but not in AC1, EC, CC or FC.  In AC1, EC, CC & FC, passengers are always CNF or WL.

Waitlist (WL)

With a WL ticket you cannot travel, unless you are promoted to RAC or CNF before departure.

Each WL ticket has two numbers at any given moment in time, for example WL10/WL3.

The first number is the ticket's original Waitlist number.  In this example, WL10 means you bought the Number 10 Waitlist ticket allocated to this train, 10th in the queue when the train opened for booking.  This number won't change, even if you are promoted to a confirmed place (CNF), your ticket will always be WL10 and shown as such on the reservation list.

The second number is your current position in the queue, this number will reduce as people cancel.  On websites & apps that show only one WL number rather than two, this is the number it shows.  In this example WL10/WL3 means that 7 people have already cancelled and you are now 3rd in line for promotion to RAC.  If 3 more people cancel, you'll be promoted to RAC and can travel.

If more people cancel you may even be promoted to CNF with a confirmed seat or berth.  With a low-numbered WL ticket you've a good chance of this happening.  For example, one traveller reports having Waitlisted places between WL1 and WL10 on numerous trips, and always successfully got promoted to CNF with a confirmed place on the train, usually in the 24 hours before departure as that's when all the movement takes place from tickets in unsold quotas being used to reduce the number of WL & RAC passengers.

Keep checking your PNR status online .  Even if you're only promoted to RAC, you can at least travel.  If the train is charted and you're still only Waitlisted, then you can't travel and your fare will automatically be refunded, less a minor clerkage fee.

How likely is a given WL ticket to be confirmed?

There are now several websites that claim to predict how likely it is that a given WL ticket will be confirmed and allow you on the train, based on historical data.  Try entering your PNR into trainman.in , or use it to see what the current availability of a given train is, and how likely it is that if you bought WL tickets they'd be confirmed by departure.

The Vikalp scheme (ATAS)

There's yet another process to help Waitlisted passengers.  When you buy a WL ticket, you may be asked if you want to opt in to the Vikalp scheme, also known as Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme or ATAS.  Vikalp is Hindi for option .

If you tick the Vikalp box, you're offered a selection of possible alternative trains and you can choose which of these you'd be willing to take if you can't get a berth on the train you've booked.  Then, if you are still Waitlisted (WL) when your original train is charted (so you can't travel on it), and if space is available in the same class on one of your chosen alternative trains, you'll be given a confirmed (CNF) berth on that instead.

An alternative train is one between the same or similar origin & destination leaving between 30 minutes & 72 hours after your original choice of train.  For example, a train leaving from Old Delhi or Delhi H.Nizamudin might be considered alternatives to a train from New Delhi.

If there are several of you on one PNR, either all of you will be given places on an alternative train or none of you will, so don't worry, you won't be split up.  However, once you opt in to Vikalp, you can't opt out again.  And if you are transferred to a CNF place on an alternative train and decide you don't want it, you can cancel but only in line with the terms & conditions of a CNF place, which means a partial refund less the CNF cancellation fees (as an unsuccessful Waitlisted passenger on your original train you'd normally have been refunded almost all of your money).

Charting is the process of drawing up the final passenger list for each carriage of a given train, allocating names to berths.  The list is posted on the reservations notice board at stations or you can check your PNR status online .

During this process, any unsold tickets in quotas such as handicapped, military or parliamentary are released, freeing up places so RAC passengers can be moved up to Confirmed (CNF) and WL passengers to RAC or CNF.  So if you have a WL ticket and haven't already been promoted to RAC or CNF as passengers cancel, this is when you discover whether or not you're on the train.

It's also at this point that specific berth numbers are allocated to AC1 sleeper passengers, which is why you can't choose between an AC1 2-berth coupé and an AC1 4-berth compartment when you book.

Charting for trains leaving their origin station between 12:00 & 23:00 takes place around 4 hours before departure from that station.

Charting for trains leaving their origin between 23:00 & 12:00 takes place 19:00-21:00 Monday-Saturday or 13:00-15:00 Sundays & holidays.

How to check your current status

You can confirm your current PNR (Personal Name Record) status as WL, RAC or CNF at www.indianrail.gov.in/pnr_Enq.html or using one of the apps suggested above , by entering the PNR number shown on your ticket.

Remember that things can change even on the day of departure, most movement happens shortly before departure, when the train is charted.

When you buy a ticket, it comes from a specific quota.  A quota is simply an allocation of tickets for a particular type of traveller such as  senior, handicapped, military or government, on each train in each class.  By default, tickets come from the General quota.

General (GN) quota

Remote location (rl) & pooled (pq) quotas, handicapped, senior & ladies quotas.

The Senior quota is only for Indian seniors so don't use this if you're not Indian.

The Ladies quota only exists in Sleeper class & AC3, it gets you berths in one small bay reserved for women, it's hardly worth bothering with.

The Lower Berth quota is for anyone with mobility issues who can't use the ladder to the upper berths, so absolutely needs a lower. 

When a train is charted and the final reservation list is compiled, any unsold seats or berths in these quotas will be freed up used to reduce the RAC/Waitlist, promoting RAC passengers to CNF and WL passengers to RAC and (once all RAC passengers are confirmed) CNF.

Foreign Tourist (FT) quota

Many important trains have a small Foreign Tourist (FT) quota of seats or berths available only to foreign tourists.  The purpose of the FT quota is to allow foreign tourists to book trains at short notice notice when the General quota is fully-booked.

It's not a foolproof way to travel around India without pre-booking:  There's an FT quota on only 200 trains a day out of some 9,000 trains, and the quota might be just 2 places, seldom more than 12, in one or two specific classes, typically AC1 & AC2 or CC.  So even using the FT quota, you may have to wait a day or so before there is a berth available to your chosen destination in your chosen class.

For example, today is 25 January, the earliest date for which AC2 tickets available from the General quota on the Delhi-Varanasi Swatantrtwa Express is 11 February. But if I look at the Foreign Tourist quota, although there are no tickets today, there are two tickets available in AC2 tomorrow, and on each of the following few days.

If you buy an FT quota ticket at a ticket office or tourist reservation centre, you must pay in US Dollars, pounds sterling, or rupees backed by an exchange certificate proving they've come from a bank or bureau de change in exchange for foreign currency.  Rupees backed by an ATM receipt and foreign bank card are usually sufficient.  You can now book tickets from the Foreign Tourist quota when booking online .

Let's be clear, as a foreign tourist, you don't have to book from the FT quota.  Anyone of any nationality can book from the General quota whenever it's available.  And FT tickets are a little more expensive than tickets from the General quota, too.

Indeed, if there are still seats available in the General quota when you book, you shouldn't use the FT quota .  Because later on when the train is fully-booked, some other overseas visitors may urgently need those precious few FT places, desperate to get a train back to Delhi for their flight home.  If you used up all the FT places weeks ahead when you didn't need to, those travellers may be stranded!

Tatkal (TQ & PT) quotas

To allow travel at short notice on trains that are often fully-booked weeks before departure, Indian Railways introduced a system called Tatkal (Hindi for immediate ).  A number of tickets on key trains are held back and released at 10:00 one day before departure (originally 72 hours before departure, reduced to 2 days back in 2009 and just 1 day in 2011).  They are sold with a Tatkal fee of 10% of the fare in 2nd class or 30% in all other classes.  There are in fact two Tatkal quotas, regular Tatkal (TQ quota) with fixed fares, and Premium Tatkal (PT quota) with variable fares that increase with demand.  Tatkal places can also be booked online .  If there are seats available in the Foreign Tourist quota then the Tatkal quota may be irrelevant for you, if not, the Tatkal system can be useful.

How to buy tickets online

Indian trains often get fully-booked weeks in advance as demand usually exceeds supply.  So if you have a fixed itinerary and limited time you should buy tickets in advance before you get to India.

I recommend ticketing agency 12go.asia as option 1 for good reason:  It's hassle-free, even though it only does the principle trains on the routes usually requested by visitors.  It only sells confirmed tickets, it doesn't sell RAC or WL places.  It happily accepts overseas credit cards.

However, for complete access to all routes, trains, ticket types & quotas including Waitlisted & RAC , you must face the challenge of registering with the official Indian Railways booking website irctc.co.in, which is option 2.  I provide detailed instructions below.  Be warned, the process may drive you nuts.  Some people give up, others manage it in the end, but once registered you can book anything.

Option 1, buy at 12go.asia

I recommend ticketing agency 12go.asia as the quickest & easiest way to buy tickets for the principal trains and routes used by tourists, it makes booking trains as easy as booking flights.

You can check prices & availability online, pay with an international credit card and get the same e-ticket you'd get if you booked directly with irctc.co.in, but without the frustration of having to create an account and register with irctc.co.in.

Booking opens 120 days ahead , although some short-distance inter-city trains have a shorter booking horizon.  You can't buy tickets before reservations open.  Indian trains get fully booked weeks ahead, so book as far ahead as you can to be sure of a place.

How it works

12go.asia 's system shows fares & availability in real time, taken from IRCTC's system.  You select your train & class and click to buy.  Tickets are then manually secured by 12go staff using IRCTC's business-to-business booking system.

You can choose to see prices & pay in Indian Rupees, USD, GBP, Euros & several other currencies.

Limitations

12go.asia sells tickets for all the major routes of interest to visitors, but not between every possible station.  For that you need irctc.co.in.

Option 2, buy at www.irctc.co.in

You can buy train tickets direct from Indian Railways at the IRCTC website www.irctc.co.in .

Registering to use www.irctc.co.in is a time-consuming and frustrating process, but once registered you'll have access to all routes, trains, classes & ticket types.

Irctc.co.in has accepted overseas (non-Indian) credit cards since 2016, although it occasionally goes through periods when international cards don't seem to be accepted, just to keep everyone on their toes.  You must select the payment option which mentions International cards powered by PayU at the payment stage.

How to register for an IRCTC account

Go to www.irctc.co.in and click REGISTER top right.

Now enter the details to create an account.

Choose a username , some trial and error may be needed.

Enter your mobile phone number - your home country's international dialling code goes in the box marked ISD (this box says '91' until you have changed India to your own country in the box above).  The ISD for the UK is '44'.  Then enter your mobile phone number without any leading '0'.

Pin code means postcode .  Use 123456 as it won't accept UK-style postcodes.  Under Post Office , just enter your city & phone number again.

Payment problems paying the SMS verification fee

Just after I test-registered they imposed a fee for sending the OTP to a non-Indian mobile.  A few people have had credit card acceptance problems in paying this fee, but others find paying the fee works fine.  Again, I don't know why, but it could be problems with your own bank detecting and blocking a 'suspicious'  foreign transaction.  Give them a call!

How to buy tickets at www.irctc.co.in

When you click to see availability on a particular train, you will see places shown as AVL , RAC or WL , see the explanation of Reservation Against Cancellation & Waitlisting here .

AVL = Available , this means there are tickets available for confirmed seats or berths on that train. 

RAC = Reservation Against Cancellation , this means that the train is theoretically full, but Reservation Against Cancellation tickets are available for that train which allow you to board and be allocated a berth by the conductor.  So if you only see RAC tickets available, my advice is to go ahead and book, you'll still be able to travel on that train.

Tip:  Download the IRCTC app for your phone.   Download the IRCTC Rail Connect app for iPhone (if it's available in your region, it may not be) or IRCTC Rail Connect app for Android onto your phone.  You'll probably find you can't buy tickets with overseas credit cards using the app, but tickets bought online at the IRCTC website will show up in the app and can be shown to the conductor.  You can check train times, and see the current status of your booking if you are waitlisted or RAC.  Feedback appreciated .  I recommend some other apps that are available outside India in the travel tips section .

Option 3, Cleartrip.com, Makemytrip.com , Ixigo.com

How to buy tickets at the station.

The main stations in big cities and tourist centres such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi have an International Tourist Bureau where foreign travellers can book trains away from the crowds and queues at the normal booking office.  There is also a 24-hour rail booking office at Delhi International Airport.

For a list of stations with an International Tourist Bureau & opening times, see www.indianrail.gov.in , select Information then International Tourist .

New Delhi International Tourist Bureau ( temporarily closed )

U pdate 2024:   The New Delhi International Tourist Bureau remains temporarily closed due to the pandemic and low numbers of tourists.  A notice directs tourists to the international tourist counter at the Rail Reservation Centre 300m down the road, see the section below .

When open, the International Tourist Bureau at New Delhi railway station makes it easy for foreign visitors to buy tickets.  They could often sell you places out of the tourist quota, even when a train is fully-booked for Indian passengers.  Before the pandemic, it was normally open 06:00-23:00 every day, it's now temporarily closed.

How to find it

Enter New Delhi main station entrance on the Paharganj side (shown in the photo below left), veer slightly to the left and go up one flight of stairs to find yourself outside the International Tourist Bureau, as shown in the photo below right.  It's above platform 1.  If it doesn't look like the photo below, it isn't the real International tourist office.

New Delhi international tourist counter

Mumbai csmt, formerly bombay victoria terminus.

A station to rival London's St Pancras, Mumbai CSMT is an attraction in its own right.  Completed in 1887, its full title is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or (officially) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, station code CSMT .  Known as Bombay Victoria Terminus until 1996 and still known as 'VT' by many, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus .

Foreign Tourist Counter:   At Mumbai CSMT you can easily buy tickets from the foreign tourist quota at the Foreign Tourist counter, counter 4 downstairs in the Reservation Centre at CSMT.  It moved from counter 20 upstairs in 2018, please let me know if it changes again.

Tips for train travel in India

Checking your reservation.

The reservation system is very efficient and the days of finding your reserved berth already occupied by several passengers are long gone.  Your train, coach & berth number will be printed on your ticket - unless you're travelling in AC1 in which case the reservation list with your allocated berth numbers is only compiled a 2-4 hours before departure.

Reservation lists for each class in each long-distance train are posted on the notice board at each station about two hours before departure, showing the name, age and sex of each passenger reserved in each berth in each coach.  The age and sex help the ticket inspector identify that the right passenger is in the right berth.  A reservation list for each coach used to be pasted next to the entrance door on the train itself, but this is no longer done.

If you need to check your reservation, you can do so on your phone or laptop by entering your PNR (= booking reference) a PNR status-checking website such as www.railyatri.in/pnr-status or etrain.info/in , or using one of the Indian railways apps.

Download an app

I recommend downloading an app for your phone.  There are a bewildering number to choose from, some official, some 3rd party.  The official IRCTC apps seem unavailable outside India, so try these:

Indian Rail IRCTC for iPhone or Ixigo for iPhone .

Indian Rail IRCTC for Android or Ixigo for Android .

With these you can:

Check train schedules between any two stations.

Check a train's schedule at each of its calling points.  It also shows the train formation and carriage numbering to help you find your seat or berth.

Check your PNR status to see whether a Waitlisted ticket has become RAC or Confirmed.

Check real-time train running to see if your train is on time.

Check the platform for your train using the Live Station Info button, so you won't have to rely on the station departure displays to find your train.

Set a destination alarm to warn you a certain number of kilometres before your destination.

Luggage on Indian trains

Luggage is not a problem on Indian trains, you take your bags with you onto the train and place them on the overhead racks or underneath the lower berths.

The free luggage allowance is generous:  You can take to 70 Kg in AC1, 50 Kg in AC2, 40 Kg in AC3, AC Chair class or Sleeper class, 35 Kg in 2nd class seats.  Most western travellers are unlikely to exceed that, but if you really need to, you can pay an excess luggage fee and take up to 150 Kg in AC1 or 100 Kg in AC2.  However, the maximum is 40 Kg in AC3 or AC Chair class.

Theft of luggage is rare, but for peace of mind take along a bicycle lock or medium-sized padlock to secure your bags.  In the sleeping-cars, there are wire hoops hanging down underneath the seats to which you can padlock your luggage while you sleep.

Carriage numbers

The carriage numbers shown on tickets, on reservation lists and on the side of each coach consist of a letter and a number, for example H1, A1, A2, B1, B2, S1, S2, S3 and so on.  The letter shows the class of accommodation in that car.

A = air-con 2-tier (2A).

B = air-con 3-tier (3A).

AB = composite coach, half air-con 2-tier, half air-con 3-tier.

C = air-con chair car (CC).

D = non-air-con 2nd class reserved (@S).

E = executive chair class (EC).

G & J are used for AC 3-tier & Air-conditioned Chair class on Garib Rath trains.

H = air-conditioned 1st class (1A).

HA = composite coach, half AC1, half AC2.

S = sleeper class (SL).

There's typically just one air-con 1st class sleeper on a given train, so that's usually numbered H1.  If there were two air-con 2-tier cars on a train, those cars would be numbers A1 & A2.  So if you booked an AC2 ticket you'd expect to be given a car number 'A1' or 'A2', if you booked AC1 you'd expect to be in car H1 or HA1.

Food and drink on Indian trains

There are no restaurant or buffet cars on Indian Railways, but on long distance trains an attendant will appear in your coach and ask you if you would like to order food.  He will note down your order (usually a choice of 'veg' or 'non-veg') on a bit of paper.  An hour or so later he will reappear with some rice and curry in small foil containers from the kitchen car.  It is not expensive - you can reckon on £2-£3 per meal.  Attendants also regularly pass down each car selling soft drinks, snacks, or excellent hot sweet Indian tea (garam chai) for a few rupees.  On the premier Rajdhani Express trains (linking Delhi with Mumbai, Kolkata, etc.) and the premier daytime Shatabdi Express trains (linking Delhi with Jaipur and Agra, etc.), food is included in the fare, served at your seat.

Pre-order your food from a restaurant of your choice.   Alternatively, there are now several Indian websites that allow you to pre-book food to be delivered to your seat on the train from various vendors along the way.  If you have a confirmed train booking you can go to railrestro.com , enter your PNR, select a vendor you like the sound of who is located at a station where your train calls at a suitable time, and select specific items from their menu to be delivered to you on board the train at that station - reports so far have been very positive, but feedback is always appreciated !

Cleanliness, toilets & crowding

The efficient reservation system means that you can safely forget any pictures you've seen of overcrowded Indian trains with people on the roof or hanging on the side.  These these photos show suburban or local trains, or unreserved 2nd class on long-distance ones.  On fast long-distance trains in AC1, AC2, AC3, or AC Chair Class, all passengers have an assigned seat or sleeping berth so there's no overcrowding.  Don't expect pristine western standards anywhere in India, but you'll find AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC Chair class clean by Indian standards, with both western-style and squat toilets usually in a reasonably sanitary condition, see the train interior photos below.  On the other hand, Sleeper Class gets much grubbier than the AC classes and unreserved passengers can sometimes enter the coaches making it crowded.  2nd class unreserved can be incredibly crowded.  Toilets in sleeper class or basic non-AC 2nd class seats can leave a lot to be desired.

Safety & security

Indian trains are safe to travel on, even for families or women travelling alone, and you are unlikely to have any problems.  As in any busy place anywhere, pickpockets operate at the major stations (for example Delhi and New Delhi), so take care.  Oh, and be prepared:  If anyone tells you that your train is cancelled, that the ticket office has closed or has moved to a travel agency across the road, or your pre-booked hotel has burnt down or been abducted by aliens, please politely ignore them, even if they look 'official', to avoid ending up in a travel agency paying for a car and driver at vast expense, or booking their 'alternative' hotel which of course will luckily have a room available.  These are all well-known scams (yawn...) to get travel agency business, usually obvious to any regular India hand, but first-timers have been known to fall for them.

Do Indian trains run on time?

Indian Railways are generally remarkably efficient, but Indian trains do run late, sometimes hours rather than minutes.  To get a feel for it, why not go to either www.trainenquiry.com or www.erail.in and see how late yesterday's Delhi-Jaisalmer Express arrived, or last Thursday's Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express?  At www.erail.in , select the origin and destination that interests you, and bring up the train list.  Now find the train that you want and click on it.  Now select a date and click the 'train running status' button.  It will show you a table of scheduled times and actual times at each station.  Data is only held for the last few days, not weeks or months ago.  At www.trainenquiry.com , you simply enter the train number or name, then select from a list of possible trains.

Alternatively, these examples from my own travels may give you a feel for the likely delay:  Delhi-Varanasi overnight express spot on time, Bombay-Howrah Mail 1½ hours late, Chennai-Mumbai Chennai Express 40 minutes late, Kolkata-Delhi Rajdhani Express spot on time (Rajdhani Expresses get priority and are pretty punctual), Delhi-Agra Shatabdi Express spot on time (Shatabdi Expresses also get priority and are pretty punctual), Jaisalmer-Delhi Express 2 hours late starting and 3 hours late arriving, Delhi-Kalka-Simla Himalayan Queen spot on time, Varanasi-Agra-Jaipur Marudhar Express 50 minutes late, Chennai-Delhi Grand Trunk Express 1½ hours late.

Recharging mobiles & cameras

There are shaver sockets in most AC1/2/3 sleeper cars and many Indian trains now have power outlets for mobiles and laptops.  However, I never travel without an Anker powerbank which can recharge your phone several times over if you're on the move and can't get to a power outlet.

Other Indian train tips

Bring your own toilet paper.  You'll normally find one western toilet and one squat toilet at one or both ends of the car.  In AC1, AC2, AC Chair Class and even AC3 the toilets are normally reasonably clean by Indian standards, and in full working order.  Sleeper Class and 2nd class toilets may be a different matter!

Make sure you research when to visit India carefully - in summer it can be unbearably hot, and you also want to avoid the monsoon rains.  And in January & February in Northern India that there can be major disruption to road, rail & air due to thick fog, so bear that in mind.

Finally, forewarned is forearmed

In India, if someone asks which hotel you're going to, then announces that this hotel has been flooded, burnt down, or abducted by aliens, they are of course trying to get commission from sending you to another hotel - that's often painfully obvious and it's almost funny!  Smile, ignore them, and persist in walking to your own hotel, which will of course be open as usual.  But similarly, especially at big stations such as New Delhi, if an official-looking person (they may even show you a badge) says your train has been cancelled, or says you can't board without a boarding pass (with an e-ticket you can get on the train, there's no such thing as a boarding pass), smile, ignore them, walk past, and persist until you see the actual departure indicators and get your train.  If necessary, go and see the station master!  Although this has never happened to me, there are occasional reports of travellers being conned into buying new tickets from a nearby travel agency, being sent to a nearby travel agency when they wanted the genuine New Delhi foreigners booking office, or being conned into hiring a private car and driver for hundreds of dollars when they already had trains booked, which of course weren't really cancelled.  So smile, ignore, persist, go and see the departure boards with your own eyes, find and get on your train, and have a giggle about it later!  If you encounter any of this, feedback (and a good laugh) is always appreciated!

The 11 classes on Indian trains

There are 11 classes of accommodation on Indian trains or at least, 11 different class codes in the system.  You can argue that 3E is a variation of 3A, EA a variation of EC and that 2S & GN are the same (both are 2nd class seats, one reserved, the other unreserved).  But that's still 8 classes!

Only a small selection of classes is available on any given train, a typical long-distance train might have one AC1 car, one or two AC2 cars, perhaps an AC3 car, then a long line of 6, 7 or 8 Sleeper class cars and maybe one GN or 2S car at the end.  But it varies, of course.

Here are the classes, in roughly descending order of cost, together with the usual 2 & 3-letter abbreviations.  A request:  If you get any clear interior photos of AC2, AC3 or Sleeper class which would better illustrate these classes, please get in touch !

Air-conditioned first class (AC1 or 1A)

Air-conditioned 2-tier (ac2 or 2a).

AC2 is relatively clean & comfortable, with room to spread out.  It's the class typically used by middle class Indian families and a good choice for most western visitors.   AC2 is found on almost all decent long-distance trains including the premier Rajdhani & Duronto expresses.

AC2 offers padded leatherette seats by day which convert to flat padded bunks at night.  AC2 coaches are open-plan with berths arranged in bays of four on one side of the aisle (two upper, two lower, transverse across the car width), and in bays of two on the other side of the aisle, arranged longitudinally along the coach side above and below the windows.  If you're tall, you should book a transverse berth.

Each bay is curtained off for privacy, and an attendant distributes pillows, clean sheets and blankets in the evening.  Update:  Curtains were removed  as a Covid-19 precaution and may still be absent.

Click for car plans & berth numbering in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class .

Air-conditioned 3-tier (AC3 or 3A)

AC3 has a similar layout to AC2, but instead of upper & lower berths it has 3 tiers of bunks - upper, middle and lower - arranged in bays of six on one side of the aisle, and longitudinal bays of two - upper and lower - along the wall on the other side of the aisle.  As in AC2, an attendant distributes pillows, sheets and blankets in the evening.  Berths convert to seats for daytime use.

With 3 people sitting on each bench seat during the day rather than just 2, it feels a lot more crowded than AC 2-tier, and at night there is less height-space between each bunk - the top bunks are significantly higher up near the ceiling.  AC3 may lack the privacy curtains and individual berth lights usually found in AC2.  As in AC2, you should avoid the longitudinal berths if you are tall.  Still, if you find AC2 fully-booked, most western travellers will find AC3 an acceptable fall-back.  See car plans & berth numbering in AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class .  Photos courtesy of Rachel Poschi.

Air-conditioned 3-tier economy (3E)

Executive anubhuti chair car (ea), ac executive chair class (ec).

AC Executive Chair Class is only found on the high-quality Shatabdi Express , Vande Bharat Express & Tejas Express trains.  Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, basic pre-packaged food & drink is included in the fare, served at your seat.  It's also known as First AC Chair class.  Seat numbering plan for AC Chair cars .

AC Chair class (CC)

AC Chair class is a good choice for daytime journeys.  Comfortable & air-conditioned, they have seats arranged 2+3 across the car width.  AC Chair Class is found on the Shatabdi Expresses, Vande Bharat Express, the several Tejas Express trains and a number of other inter-city daytime trains, for example Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Kalka for Simla.   Seat numbering plan, AC Chair cars .

Sleeper Class (SL)

This is the way the bulk of the Indian population travels on long-distance trains, but it's also used by many more adventurous backpackers who are prepared to take the rough with the smooth.  The majority of cars on a typical long-distance mail or express train will be sleeper class.

Sleeper class consists of open-plan berths, arranged in bays of 6 bunks (upper, middle and lower) on one side of the aisle, and bays of 2 bunks (upper & lower) along the coach wall on the other side of the aisle.  Bunks fold away to form seating for daytime use.  It's the same basic layout as AC3, but without the air-con and without any privacy curtains.  Bedding is not provided, so bring a sleeping-bag.

Sleeper class is found on almost all long-distance trains except for the premier Rajdhani & Duronto services.  Sleeper class can be crowded (although in theory all berths must be reserved, so it can't get overcrowded), and it's fairly grubby and basic.  On the other hand, you get a better view of the countryside then in AC coaches, where the windows are sealed, tinted and sometimes dirty.  In summer, there are fans on the ceiling and a breeze from the windows.  In winter, wrap up warm at night and take a sleeping bag and fleece, as it can get cold.    Berth numbering system, AC1, AC2, AC3, AC Chair, Sleeper Class cars .

1st class (FC)

Traditional non-air-con 1st class has now almost disappeared, as Indian Railways have progressively phased it out in favour of AC 2-tier.  But for the record, ordinary first class consists of non-air-conditioned sleeper coaches with lockable 4-berth and 2-berth compartments, a similar layout to AC1 but without the AC.  Bedding is not provided, and it's much grubbier than AC1, AC2 or AC3 as it's not sealed against the dirt .

2nd class seats (2S = reserved or GN = unreserved)

Open plan cars with wooden or padded plastic seats, sometimes reserved and shown online as 2S, sometimes unreserved and shown online as either GN or II.  Not recommended for long distance overnight journeys (you'll see the huge scrum of Indians all trying to bag a seat in unreserved 2nd class), but quite acceptable for daytime journeys of up to a few hours if you're on a budget.

IndRail pass es:  Discontinued in 2017

Where to go in india.

First-time visitors often wonder where to start in such a vast country and they're sometimes told to tour only a small area, for example stick to Rajasthan or perhaps the beaches of Goa.  But I suggest a bolder approach.  Use the remarkable Indian train network to see a varied cross-section of India's highlights, picking one example from each type of place:  A big city, a colonial hill station, a princely city or two in Rajasthan, then Agra of course for the Taj Mahal, and also Varanasi, the classic Hindu holy city on the Ganges.  This way, you'll see some incredible highlights and complete contrasts, with overnight trains minimising both daytime travelling time and hotel bills.

A suggested itinerary

Here's what I personally consider the best itinerary around Northern India, taking in an amazing variety of classic Indian cities in as little as 2 weeks.  Highlight after highlight in a 2-week itinerary.  If you have longer to spare, add an extra day or two here and there and/or add one more Rajasthani city, Udaipur.

Delhi 1-3 days.  Contrast the bustling old city with Lutyens' gracious New Delhi.

Take the Swatantrta S Express leaving New Delhi at 21:15 arriving Varanasi Junction at 08:05 next morning. AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

Varanasi 2-3 days.  Formerly called Benares, Varanasi is the must-see Hindu holy city on the Ganges.  Make sure you stay in a local Indian riverside hotel such as the Hotel Alka , with its terrace overlooking the Ganges.  Western chain hotels are usually located in the new town, well away from all the amazing riverside action.  The Hotel Alka is one of the better hotels in this top riverside location, and eating a Thai on the terrace as the Diwali fireworks went off overhead and Lilly pads with candles drifted down the Ganges was an unforgettable experience.

Take the Marudhar Express from Varanasi Junction around 18:25 arriving Agra Fort at 06:40 next morning. AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.  No AC1.

Agra 2 days, remembering to visit the fantastic deserted royal city of Fatephur Sikhri 30km away by bus or car.  Agra may be the most touristy place in India, but the Taj is utterly beautiful and well worth the tourist tout hassle.  Agra fort and the ‘baby Taj’ are also worth a visit.

Take the Marudhar Express from Agra Fort around 06:45 arriving Jaipur at 11:50 the same day. AC2, AC3, Sleeper class (No AC1).

Jaipur 2-3 days.  The 'Pink City' is one of the most wonderful princely cities in Rajasthan, and indeed in India.

Take the daily Raniket Express leaving Jaipur at 10:10 arriving Jaisalmer at 22:30 the same day, with AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

Or the Shalimar Express on Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun leaving Jaipur 17:45 arriving Jaisalmer 05:30 next morning, with AC1, AC2, AC3 & sleeper class.

Jaisalmer 2-3 days.  This is Rajasthan’s ultimate fairytale city and one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of India, in the desert close to the Pakistan border.  For many years it had no airport so only those who made the effort got to experience it, although sadly it may now have flights using the military airbase nearby.

Take the Shalimar Express leaving Jaisalmer at 23:25 on Mon, Wed, Thus, Sat and arriving at Old Delhi at 16:50 next day. AC1, AC2, AC3, sleeper class.  Spend the night in Delhi.

Take the Kalka Shatabdi leaving New Delhi at 07:40 arriving Kalka at 11:40. AC Executive chair class and AC Chair class, meal included served at your seat. Change onto the waiting narrow-gauge Simla toy train leaving Kalka at 12:10 arriving Simla at 17:20 with (non-AC) 1st class, AC Chair class, 2nd class. The journey to Simla by narrow gauge Toy Train is an absolute delight.

Simla 2-3 days.  Cool relaxation and colonial mock-Tudor charm in this lovely Himalayan hill station from the days of the Raj.  The ideal final destination for your trip!  The upmarket colonial-style Clarkes Hotel is wonderful.

Take the toy train leaving Simla at 18:05 arriving Kalka at 22:40. Change onto the mainline Netaji Express leaving Kalka at 23:55 and arriving Old Delhi at 06:00. AC1, AC2, AC3, Sleeper class.

How to book this itinerary

Option 1 is to arrange it all yourself .  First sketch out your itinerary, perhaps using the technique explained here .  Then book each train journey at 12go.asia (hassle-free, although naturally they charge a reasonable agency mark-up) or get yourself registered with IRCTC and book as explained here .  Then book each of your hotels separately using Booking.com .  This is the budget option, if you don't mind the legwork and managing it yourself.

Option 2 is to have it all booked for you, hassle-free .  I've arranged for train specialists Railbookers to offer this exact itinerary as a package, with trains, hotels, transfers (and if you like, your flight to India) all sorted for you.  This costs more than sorting it all out yourself, but it saves a lot of effort (and possible frustration) and as it's then a package, if anything affects one part of the tour Railbookers will sort things out for you.  Their suggested tour can be customised to your own requirements, to spend more or less time in each place.  Railbookers is an ABTA member and holidays including flights are ATOL protected.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk . 

  us call free 1-888-829-4775, see website .,   canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website .,   australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website . ,   new zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website ., alternative versions.

Alternatively, just pick on big city, one hill station, a couple of cities in Rajasthan, and a couple of places from the 'other' list below and create your own itinerary.  How about:  Kolkata - (overnight sleeper train to New Jalpaiguri then the famous Darjeeling Toy Train) - Darjeeling - Varanasi - (overnight sleeper train) - Agra - (daytime train) - Jaipur - (overnight sleeper train) - Kolkata?

The big cities

The royal cities of rajasthan, old colonial hill stations, other places to see, two personal favourites:  a ride to darjeeling.

A personal favourite is the ride to Darjeeling on the narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalaya Railway (DHR), and a night or two at the wonderful Windamere Hotel .  The DHR is now a UN World Heritage Site.

Travel from Kolkata's Sealdah station to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) on the broad gauge Darjeeling Mail, leaving Sealdah at 22:05 and arriving NJP at 08:15 next morning.  The Darjeeling Mail has AC1, AC2, AC3, sleeper class and 2nd class accommodation.  Then take the connecting DHR 'toy train' up to Darjeeling, leaving NJP at 10:00 daily, arriving Darjeeling at 17:30.  It's a long ride on a narrow gauge train, sometimes next to the hill road, sometimes through jungle, and sometimes through the streets.

You can check the current status of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway at www.dhrs.org/page4.html - it has it's ups and downs, if you'll pardon the expression.

Once in Darjeeling, the place to stay is the Windamere Hotel .  Originally a boarding house for bachelor tea planters, it became a hotel in 1939.  Meals are served by white-gloved, turbanned waiters and eaten by candlelight to the sound of Cole Porter tunes on the piano.  Even if you can't afford it, make sure you come along for afternoon tea - probably the best cup of tea you will ever drink.

...and a ride to Simla.

A little bit more robust than the line to Darjeeling, the similar toy train up to Simla in the Himalayan foothills is the way to reach Simla, once India's summer capital.  Take a fast broad-gauge train from New Delhi to Kalka and change there onto the Toy Train up into the hills.  The train ride to Simla is one of Simla's highlights on its own.  If you get the chance, use the Shivalik Deluxe Express on the way back down from Simla (it connects with the overnight express to New Delhi going forward next day to Kolkata).  The Shivalik Deluxe has plush fabric-covered first class armchairs, and a meal is served at your seat, included in the price.  Although it gets dark as you descend, at stations without electricity the signalmen hand the single-line token to the driver whilst holding burning torches, the shimmering flames lighting up the side of the train.  It's wonderfully atmospheric.

Tours of India by train

The cheapest option is to arrange everything yourself, independently, but this takes time and effort.  If you want a customisable itinerary with all your train tickets, up-market hotels and transfers arranged for you, you can do this through train specialists Railbookers.  Their website has various example itineraries including a one-week Golden Triangle one visiting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, but have a look at the suggested itinerary above covering Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer & Simla as I think it's the best 2-week itinerary around northern India that you'll find, and I've arranged for Railbookers to offer it.  Railbookers takes good care of their clients and gets very good reviews.

Escorted tours in India by train

If you'd prefer to travel with a group of fellow travellers escorted by a professional tour guide, check are Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com , in the UK call 01904 527 120) and Rail Discoveries , www.raildiscoveries.com , 01904 730 727.  Both offer popular escorted tours covering India's 'Golden Triangle' of Delhi, Agra for the Taj Mahal and Jaipur in Rajasthan.  At the time of writing, Great rail Journeys also do an escorted tour covering Delhi, Amritsar for the Golden Temple, Agra for the Taj Mahal, Lucknow, Varanasi on the Ganges and Kathmandu in Nepal, with departures on various dates through the year.

Tourist cruise trains

There are now several luxury cruise trains catering for tourists and offering sightseeing itineraries around Indian cities.  All of these trains are in effect 5 star international hotels on wheels, allowing you to see India in great comfort.

The Palace on Wheels

See www.palacesonwheels.com and see the Palace on Wheels video .  This is India's first and most celebrated cruise train, voted as the world's 4th best luxury train by Condé Nast Traveller magazine.  All suites feature private shower & spotlessly clean toilet, TV & CD player, and the train's two elegant restaurant cars offer both Indian and international cuisine.

Prices range from $2,750 for a 7-night 8-day tour around key cities in Rajasthan such as Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur & Jodhpur with all meals, off-train tours and on-board accommodation included. 

You can book the Palace on Wheels through recommended train holiday specialist Railbookers who can also arrange flights, hotels and other Indian trains for you.

If you'd prefer to use the Palace on Wheels on an escorted tour with friendly group of travellers and a professional tour guide are available from Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com , in the UK call 01904 527 120).

Other luxury cruise trains

The Palace on Wheels is no longer the only cruise train in India, and it's not even the best.  Others have sprung up, though prices are sky-high.  Be warned that most of these companies quote a rate per night, not for the whole tour!

Maharaja's Express , see www.the-maharajas.com - See the Maharaja's Express video .  Runs various 3 or 7 night tours from Delhi back to Delhi or between Delhi & Mumbai, via places such as Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Khajuraho.  From $3,580 per person.  This train is run by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), originally as a joint venture with Cox & KIngs.  Gets very positive feedback, 'ten out of ten' from one correspondent.  You can now book the Maharaja's Express through train holiday specialist www.railbookers.co.uk .

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels , www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com - See the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels video .  Offers 8-day (7-night) itineraries with weekly departures from Delhi back to Delhi, stopping at Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Jaipur, Khajuraho & Varanasi.  From around $4,130 per person for two people sharing, $5,775 single occupancy for the least expensive suites.  Has also had great feedback, and can also be booked through www.railbookers.co.uk .

Golden Chariot , www.goldenchariot.org - see the Golden Chariot video .  A luxury train offering weekly departures from Bangalore for a week-long tour to Goa & southern India.

Deccan Odyssey , www.deccan-odyssey-india.com - see the Deccan Odyssey video .  A luxury train offering weekly departures from Mumbai for a week-long tour to Goa, Pune, and the caves at Ajanta & Ellora.

Indian Maharaja , www.theindianmaharaja.co.in .  Offers 8-day 7-night 'land cruises' between Delhi & Mumbai in either direction on various dates between October & April, with stopovers & tours at Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ellora & Ajanta Caves, starting at around $4,095 per person for two people sharing or from $5,229 single occupancy.

These trains can also be arranged through Railbookers.  On their website, select 'Private trains'.

Inclusive luxury train escorted tours

If you'd like a deluxe train-based holiday to India, but would like to do this as part of an organised tour, Great Rail Journeys ( www.greatrail.com ) is a well-known company offering inclusive upmarket escorted tours to India, including the Palace on Wheels or a number of other special Indian 'cruise trains', five star hotels plus flights to/from the UK.  There are a number of different tours available, departing on a range of dates throughout the year.  Check the holiday details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form .  Seat61 gets some commission to help support the site if you book your holiday through this link and phone number.

International trains, buses & ferries

There are international trains to Pakistan & Bangladesh, and buses to Nepal.  Here's a quick summary:

Delhi - Amritsar - Lahore, Pakistan

Take a train from Delhi to Amritsar, there are lots to choose from.  See www.indianrail.gov.in for times & fares. 

Take a bus or taxi the 26km from Amritsar to the India/Pakistan frontier at Atari.  Walk through the border posts to Wagah on the Pakistani side.  You may want to hang around Wagah to see the spectacular ceremony at sunset when the border closes.  Indian and Pakistani guards try to outdo each other with their performances, watched by Indians and Pakistani crowds!

Take another bus or taxi the remaining 20km to Lahore.  Allow plenty of time for this deceptively short journey. 

There used to be a cross-border train, but tension in Kashmir means all India-Pakistan trains are suspended at the moment.

Delhi - Jodhpur - Karachi, Pakistan

A weekly international train called the Thar Express started in February 2006 from Jodhpur to Karachi via the border at Munabao.  But it's currently suspended.

Eastbound:   The Thar Express leaves Karachi every Friday at 23:00, arriving at 'Zero Point' on the Pakistan/India frontier at around 08:00 next morning.  After customs checks, the train goes forward to Munabao on the Indian side, arriving around 11:00.The Indian train departs Munabao at 19:00 after customs formalities, arriving Jodhpur (Bhagat Ki Kothi station) at 23:50 Saturday.

Westbound:   The Thar Express leaves Jodhpur (Bhagat Ki Kothi station, about 4km from the main station) every Saturday morning at 01:00 arriving Munabao at 07:00, leaving Munabao at around 14:30 on Saturdays, reaching Karachi at 02:15 on Sunday morning. 

The sleeper fare from Jodhpur to Munabao/zero point is about Rs170, and from Munabao/zero point to Karachi is about Rs230.  No more information is yet available, but feedback would be appreciated!  The train has one sleeping-car and several economy cars.

Update :  Tension in Kashmir means all India-Pakistan trains are suspended at the moment.

Delhi to Kathmandu, Nepal

It's quite easy, cheap, and an adventure to do this journey overland.  You take an overnight train from New Delhi to Gorakpur, then a bus.  For details, see the Nepal page .

Kolkata to Dhaka, Bangladesh

A new direct train from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Dhaka started in April 2008, see the Bangladesh page .

India to Sri Lanka by ferry

After many years of being cut off from each other (with at least one short-lived attempt to start a ferry service in 2011), a new ferry service started in late 2023, linking Nagapattinam (mainland India) with Kankesanthurai (on Sri Lanka, near Jaffna).

The fast ferry Cheriyapani sails from Nagapattinam (India)  at 07:00 arriving Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) at 11:00.

She sails from Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) at 13:30 arriving Kankesanthurai (India) at 17:00.

Crossing time 3 hours for the 60 nautical miles.  Service will be suspended during the monsoon season in November-December.

Fare around 8,000 Indian rupees, luggage allowance 40 Kg.

Online booking will be available starting in January 2024, website not yet known.  Until then, call +91 978 987 9971 at least 24 hours in advance. You will be required to send a copy of your passport and visa details via WhatsApp to confirm the booking.

Be careful with e-visas when using this ferry, they will not initially be accepted at these entry points, but may be in future.

India to Burma (Myanmar)

The India/Burma border is closed to foreigners.  It is not possible to travel to Burma overland from India.  For train and river steamer service within Burma, see the Burma page .

India to China

The direct route from India into China is difficult and mountainous, there are no trains, you need some serious permits to be in that part of India, and most if not all border crossings are closed to foreigners.  If you wish to travel this way, do your research before attempting it! 

For most practical purposes, you are better off going from India to Kathmandu in Nepal ( see the Nepal page ), then taking an organised tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet ( see the Nepal page ), then a train to Beijing.  For train service within China, including Lhasa to Beijing, see the China page .

Europe to India overland

Europe to india via istanbul, iran, pakistan.

It's possible to travel from Europe to India overland by train and bus via Turkey, Iran & Pakistan, along what in the 1960s & 70s was the hippy train.  However, these days there are serious security problems affecting this route in Turkey, SE Iran & Pakistan.  If you are foolhardy enough to brave these, it takes a minimum of 2-3 weeks and you should consider it as an adventure or expedition rather than a routine way to travel there. 

Administratively, the main issue is getting an tourist visa for Iran - see the London to Iran page for agencies to contact to get one.  Finally, there are major security issues in southeast Iran to be aware of - see the official travel advice for Iran and Pakistan at the British Foreign Office website, www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice .  If you are still interested, see the Europe to India overland page .  I'd suggest planning the trip out carefully before you start to book anything - this may help:  How to plan an itinerary & budget .

Europe to India via Moscow, the Trans-Siberian Railway, Beijing & Lhasa

A safer though somewhat round-about way is London to Moscow by Eurostar and onward trains to Moscow (2 nights, £300, daily departures), Moscow to Beijing via the Trans-Siberian Railway (6 or 7 nights, £500, two per week), Beijing to Lhasa by train (2 nights, £100, daily), then an organised tour by bus from Lhasa to Nepal (7 nights, maybe $400), then bus and train to Delhi .  Again, you may find this helpful:  How to plan an itinerary & budget .  Trains to Russia are suspended due to Covid-19 and now sanctions .

Hotels in India

Personal hotel recommendations, tripadvisor hotel reviews.

www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.  It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.

Flights to India

Overland travel by train around India is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But if you need a long-haul flight to reach India in the first place.

1)  Check flight prices at Opodo, www.opodo.com

2)  use skyscanner to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines.

3)  Lounge passes

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think!  See www.loungepass.com

For independent travel, the best guidebook to take is either the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide .  I gave Sarah the Lonely Planet and Karen the Rough Guide and we road-tested both of them head-to-head across India.  The result was a tie, with similarly excellent levels of both practical travel information and historical and cultural background.  I personally prefer the Lonely Planet, but Karen preferred the Rough Guide.  Just make sure you take one of these two guides with you..!  If you buy anything at Amazon through these links, Seat61.com gets a small commission to help support the site.

Buy Lonely Planet India at Amazon.co.uk    Buy Rough Guide India at Amazon.co.uk

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Also for your reading list

Travel insurance & other tips, always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com .

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The 9 most scenic train journeys in India

By Tvisha Sharma and Toshita Sahni

Air travel may seem more convenient and time-effective, but it cannot replace the undeniable charm of travelling by train. One of the most enjoyable parts of train journeys is sitting by the window and taking in the beauty of the landscape while sipping a hot beverage. In those moments, with hills, forests, brooks and villages rolling by your window, the world slips away, and peace reigns for a little while. If you want to experience this kind of serenity, there are many routes you can take, as India boasts of an extensive railway network. Here’s a look at some of the prettiest train journeys in the country:

Himalayan Queen

Also known as the Kalka-Shimla ‘toy train,’ the Himalayan Queen features in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tracks stretch across the steepest altitude. From your vantage point up high, you will get a glimpse of picturesque pine forests, deep valleys and small towns along the way. This seven-coach train covers a distance of 96km, crossing 82 bridges and 102 tunnels. In 2008, UNESCO added the Kalka-Shimla railway line to its Mountain Railways of India World Heritage site.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this train runs from Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal. As you travel at an altitude of more than 2000m, you will be treated to stunning views of sprawling tea plantations and the breathtaking Mt. Kanchenjunga. The route is famous for its loops, where the train turns in a full circle and thus climbs 20ft higher.

Kashmir Valley Railway

A train passing by the Pulwama district in Kashmir.

On this trip from Jammu to Baramulla, feast your eyes on the snowy mountainscapes of the region. This is actually one of the most challenging tracks built by the Indian Railways. The train passes through many earthquake zones, high-altitude mountain passes and rocky terrains.

Sethu Express

Pamban Bridge

If you don’t want a mountainous journey, choose this train that goes from Chennai to Rameswaram in less than 12 hours. You will get the opportunity to traverse the sea, as the route includes crossing the Pamban Bridge—the second-longest in India—built over the water.  You may recognise it from the 2013 Bollywood film Chennai Express .

Konkan Railway

Arundhati Ail

Condé Nast Traveller

Jahnavi Bhatt

This iconic railway line mainly connects Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Get ready to enjoy the varied sights outside your window: the Sahyadri mountains, the Arabian Sea, lakes and waterfalls. A classic choice for travellers going from Mumbai to Goa is the  Mandovi Express . The train travels through 92 tunnels and 2,000 bridges, including the Panvalnadi bridge, which is one of the highest in India. With landscapes covered in lush greenery, a Konkan Railway journey is a treat, especially during the monsoon season.

Goa Express

For an awe-inspiring glimpse of Dudhsagar Falls, take this train from Vasco de Gama in Goa to Londa, Karnataka. It crosses the bridge over that massive waterfall in the early evening, so keep an eye out. The journey is less than 4 hours long and takes you through the charming Western Ghats and serene beaches.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

If you want to travel by the train where the popular song ‘ Chaiya Chaiya’ was filmed,  choose this one from Mettupalayam to Ooty. You will have lots of time to enjoy the gorgeous views of forests and plantations, as this ‘toy’ train takes around 5h to cover 46km. Considered “the  slowest train  in India”, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway has the steepest gradient of any railway line in South Asia, climbing from an elevation of 325m to 2,240m along the way.

Kollam-Sengottai Chord Line

For another amazing south Indian experience, take this train from Kollam Junction in Kerala to Sengottai in Tamil Nadu. You will see moss-covered bridges, untouched forests and Kerala’s cardamom hills. The route also takes you over the Pathimoonnu Kannara Bridge, or the 13 Arch Bridge, which is more than 100 years old.

Bhubaneswar to Brahmapur

Many trains run along this specific route, like the Intercity Express, Prashanti Express, Konark Express and the famous Howrah-Chennai Mail. The most attractive highlight of the journey is Lake Chilika, the second-largest in the country and a popular destination for birdwatchers. As your train passes by, you can often spot different species of birds quenching their thirst in the lake. Don’t forget to sit on the left side of the train going southward to catch the best views.

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Indian Railways Passengers Can Now Book Tickets From Anywhere | All About UTSonMobile App

New Delhi: Indian Railways has lifted the restriction on outer limit geo-fencing distance for booking journey and platform tickets through the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) mobile app, effective immediately. Saurabh Kataria, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, announced that passengers can now book unreserved tickets and platform tickets from any station, eliminating the need to visit ticket counters.

Previously, passengers were limited to booking tickets from stations within a 50-kilometre radius of their mobile location. The internal limit of geo-fencing, which confines ticket booking to the station premises, remains unchanged. However, passengers can now book tickets from outside the station premises, offering greater flexibility and convenience.

The UTS mobile app, known for its user-friendly interface and easy navigation, has gained popularity among rail users, especially frequent local train commuters and those in need of unreserved tickets. By removing the outer limit geo-fencing restriction, Indian Railways aims to promote passenger convenience and digitalization, encouraging more people to utilise the UTS mobile app for ticket bookings and reducing queues at ticket counters.

Indian Railways has streamlined the ticket booking process through the UTS mobile app by removing geofencing restrictions. Previously, UTSonMobile required users to be within a specific proximity of their requested boarding station to book tickets.

In a recent circular, the Railway Board directed the removal of the outer limit geofencing restriction for both journey and platform tickets on the UTSonMobile App. Commuters can now book tickets from any location to any destination, regardless of their current whereabouts. However, tickets must be used for journeys commencing from the originating station within one hour of booking.

Commuters will still be unable to book tickets via the app while within station premises or aboard trains to prevent booking in restricted areas. This decision is expected to boost the use of the UTSonmobile app, which currently serves 25 percent of commuters for ticket bookings.

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When will India’s first bullet train project be completed? RTI reply says...

Can india get its first bullet train by 2026 an rti response on the completion deadline of the national high speed rail corporation limited (nhsrcl) project revealed that the date of completion will only be ascertained once all contracts have been awarded..

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• India is likely to get its first bullet train by 2026-27
• The final date will be confirmed only once all contracts have been awarded
• Bullet train will be 508 km long corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai

An RTI response on the completion deadline of The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) project, which is India's first bullet train , revealed that the date of completion will be ascertained only once all contracts have been awarded.

NHSRCL, which is constructing the 508 km long corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, is yet to award all the contracts required to complete the project which has been slated to finish by 2026-27.

A senior official of the project said, "Bullet train project is on track with 163 km of viaduct, 302 km of piers and 323 km of foundations has been constructed. A total of 35 km of viaduct has been handed over for track work.”

A source in the railway ministry also said, "100% tenders for civil work for the entire corridor and tenders for track work in Gujarat have been awarded. The trial run between Surat and Billimora in Gujarat will start in 2026." The source also said, "The said RTI reply is for the entire 508 km corridor. The first civil contract for the Maharashtra portion was awarded in March 2023, as a major portion of the land required for the project in Maharashtra was not available.”

Vaishnaw had revealed earlier that Indian Railways intended to add anemometers to the project in order to improve safety precautions.

Train strikes in May 2024: Full list of dates and lines affected

Rail lines are set for disruption in the week following the first May bank holiday as train drivers at 16 rail companies strike on different days.

Monday 29 April 2024 09:17, UK

Train drivers will stage a fresh wave of strikes and overtime bans in May, causing disruption to the rail network.

The strikes are part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Members of Aslef union at 16 rail companies will walk out on different days from 7 to 9 May.

Additionally, all members will refuse to work any overtime from 6 May to 11 May.

Here is a full list of the services affected by strikes and when.

Rail strike dates

Tuesday 7 May

Strikes will affect c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.

Wednesday 8 May

Strikes will affect Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains.

Thursday 9 May

Strikes will affect LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express.

Overtime ban dates

From Monday 6 May to Saturday 11 May union members will not work overtime.

Overtime bans, an action short of a strike, means some services may not be running or may be reduced as drivers refuse to work their rest days.

People are advised to check before they travel, as some areas may have no service.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

How do strikes and overtime bans affect services?

Strikes tend to mean services on lines where members are participating are extremely affected or cancelled entirely, whereas overtime bans often lead to reduced services.

Are there strikes on the Tube too?

There have been regular strikes on London Underground too recently, and while there aren't any planned walkouts for drivers, customer service managers are set to walk out on Friday 26 April in a dispute over terms and conditions.

There will also be an overtime ban for the customer service managers on the following days:

Monday 29 April

Tuesday 30 April

Wednesday 1 May

Tuesday 2 May

Wednesday 3 May

Thursday 4 May

Friday 5 May

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) says the action by its members is likely to cause Tube stations to close at the last minute, including on the Saturday following the strike (27 April), while TfL has said on its website "some stations may need to close at short notice".

Despite the warning, a TfL spokesperson has said they aren't expecting significant disruption.

This action follows strike action taken by the same workers on 10 April, which the TSSA said had a "real impact" with "many stations shut at short notice".

They say they are "extremely concerned" about TfL's 'Stations Changes' proposals.

"We have made it clear that our union will not accept the continued threats to our members' roles, locations, terms, and conditions to stand unchallenged," a TSSA spokesperson said.

"We will continue to take sustained action until London Underground is prepared to negotiate with us in good faith."

Commenting on the impending strikes, a TfL spokesperson said: "We are disappointed that TSSA is continuing with this strike action following a consultation process.

"While we don't expect this action will cause significant disruption, we urge TSSA to continue to work with us to help find a resolution.

"There are no planned job losses as part of these vital changes which will improve the service we provide to customers at our stations."

How can I stay in the loop?

You can use the National Rail's journey planner to see when trains are running.

Be sure to check it close to when you plan to travel, as it will be updated regularly.

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Why are the strikes still happening?

Aslef rejected a two-year offer of 4% in 2022 and another 4% this year, saying it is way below inflation, and is linked to changes in terms and conditions.

Aslef said train drivers have not had an increase in salary for five years, since their last pay deals expired in 2019.

The union said after its members voted overwhelmingly in February to continue taking industrial action, it asked the train operating companies to hold talks.

General secretary Mick Whelan said the year-old pay offer of 4% and another 4% was "dead in the water".

Related Topics

• London Underground
• Rail strikes