Ticket prices
Travel costs depend on the distance, which one is overcoming. The railway information brochures specify the distances between stations, which allows you to easily calculate the ticket price for a given route. If you bought a ticket for a route with a length of more than 400 Km, you can stop your trip for one day, provided, that you drove on the first leg of the route 300 Km. This way, you no longer have to buy a new ticket and, of course, you save some money.
Oriental prices, given in this guide are mainly for express trains, not personal.
Seat reservation
The costs of booking seats on the trains are low, however, a lot of time is usually wasted, wanting to settle this matter, as computer reservation systems were introduced only in larger cities.
W Delhi, Bombay, There are separate counters at the booking offices in Calcutta and Madras, serving only foreign tourists, which is undoubtedly a great convenience. The officials working there are usually very friendly and provide comprehensive information on the best rail connections.
Seat reservations can even be made 6 months before the trip; it's best to get it done as soon as possible. The number of the wagon and berth is written on the seats, and a list with the names of the passengers is additionally displayed in each car. A similar list is provided on the information board on the relevant platform. In this respect, probably no railway in the world can match the Indian one.
Just like at bus stations, Also here, above some ticket offices, there are boards informing about a separate queue for women (Ladies’ Queue).
Berth reservation in 1. classroom with air conditioning costs money 25 INR, in ordinary – 15 INR, same as seating in 1. classroom with air conditioning. Reserving a seat in a compartment 2. class with 3-bunk beds costs money 10 INR, and for a seat in the car 2. classes have to be paid 5 INR. In the latter case, only a few trains are booked. In some super-fast coffee machines, the fees may be slightly higher.
If there are not enough seats for a given train, you can then buy a Reservation Against Cancellation ticket (RAC), which also entitles you to take a seat. Before leaving, he shows him to the conductor, whose task is to find a free seat for the passenger. Unfortunately, this usually takes a long time, even over an hour. RAC ticket holders can travel by train, for which there were no spots, even if there is no vacancy for them. Tourists traveling in groups, who bought RAC tickets, have to reckon with this, that they will be located in different compartments.
Ten, who did not manage to buy a seat, he shouldn't worry too much, but just go to one of the carriages included in the total seat reservation. Admittedly, there is a risk, that he will pay a fine for "driving without a ticket", but it is small, and conductors usually look through their fingers. Most often they agree to find a seat for the passenger, provided, that he will pay for the ticket and seat reservation. This method can only be of benefit when traveling during the day. At night, all reserved seats are occupied. When there are no vacancies, unfortunately you have to go to the wagon, where there is no reservation, usually very crowded.
Tourists embarking on a longer journey with changes should plan everything in advance, so as to avoid the hassle of buying tickets and seats. Then it is worth using the services of Indian travel agents, who will take care of the booking, or purchase tickets for the entire route, along with the seats. The latter solution requires careful thought, because you need to develop a detailed itinerary, but avoids wasting time.
Ticket refund
Of course, the booked tickets can be returned, however, certain time limits apply. If this is done the day before departure, you then lose from 10 do 30 INR, depending on the class. If the refund is made over 4 time. before the departure of the train, only 75% amounts. If someone quits the trip later than 4 time. before it starts, and also from 3 do 12 time. after the departure of the train, will only get back 50% ticket value.
Tickets for trains not covered by the seat reservation can be returned to 3 time. after his departure, just paying 2 INR cary.
Tourists, who intend to return the purchased tickets, are handled out of sequence. This way, their seats can be re-sold to someone else.