Sleeper cars
There are sleeping cars in Indian trains 1. i 2. class, however, none of them live up to European standards. Compartments in carriages 1. classes are intended for 2 the 4 people, they often have a bathroom. During the day, the folded beds function as armchairs. You pay more for a place in an air-conditioned sleeping car than for a "normal" 1st class.
In sleeping cars 2. couchette classes are 3 floors. In one compartment (no door) six passengers sleep. The middle beds are foldable during the day, so that he can sit on them from 6 do 8 people. All passengers go to bed at the same time, and the conductor is watching over, that no one gets into the car, who did not buy a seat. In the broad-gauge carriages, a row of 2-story couches was also placed on the side, which are not only narrower than traditional ones, but i 20 cm shorter. Therefore, by filling in the reservation form in the "Accommodation Preferences" section, it is necessary to mention, that you are choosing a couchette "inside". The beds are fold-out 21.00, and the wake up is already on Fr. 6.00.
Reservations of seats in sleeping cars should be made a few days before the journey. Information about vacancies and the nearest trains with couchettes are posted on the station notice boards. At railway stations in larger cities, this information is displayed on screens. Thanks to the use of computer technology, they are constantly updated. After selecting the date and connection, please complete the booking form, collected from boxes in the lobby, and then stand in line at the checkout, where the booking is made. Sleeper cars 1. classes are more popular than 2. class.
Special windows have been opened at some stations, called "Tourist Celi", where tourists from abroad and Indians are served, who are not Indian citizens. You can make reservations there without waiting in queues of kilometers, but you should pay only in dollars or pounds sterling, in cash or travelers checks. Rupees are accepted only with the currency exchange certificate; the rest is also spent in them.
In India, there is a peculiar custom of naming the trains, from which it does not appear at all, where are they going. There are only meaningless names on timetables and information boards, like Brindavart Express or Cholan Express. To find the right train, see Tmiits at a Glcmce or Indian Bradshaw, because finding a competent person, who will provide information on this, may take some time.
When there are no vacancies
If you absolutely want to travel in a sleeping car, and there were just not enough places, ask the station manager with a question, there would be something in the compartments intended for foreign tourists, military or diplomats. The best chance of finding a vacancy is in the diplomats' compartment, who rarely travel by rail.
When you haven't booked your ticket, you can still try something else: hand a 10-rupee bachelor of baggage to the porter, who will slip onto the train, before he even enters the platform, and take a seat. Women, on the other hand, can go to compartments specially designed for them, which are rarely crowded.
Luggage storage
Almost all train stations in India have luggage storage facilities, marked with a sign "Cloak Room”, where for 2 INR, you can leave your bags or backpack on all day. Although, regulations require, that each luggage is properly secured, but in practice this is rarely followed.
Special trains
There is a special train running in Rajasthan, called "Palace on wheels" (Palaces on Wheels), thanks to which you can visit the most beautiful corners of the state in comfortable conditions. For more information, see the chapter on Rajasthan.
Organization of excursions, during which you travel, sleeps and eats meals on the trains, is handled by the English travel agency Butterfield's Indian Railway Tours. Tourists travel in a special car, which stands on a siding when visiting a given city, and then it is attached successively to different trains. The living conditions and driving comfort are not very high, but such trips allow you to get to know the country better than regular trips organized by travel agencies, during which contact with local people is very limited. Details can be obtained from Butterfield's Railway Tour (01262/470230) Burton Fleming, Drffield, Humberside Y025 0PQ, England, UK. The representative office of this agency is located in the Madras hotel, Connaught Circus, Delhi.
Bilety indrail
Indrail tickets allow to be held – within the period of validity – any number of rail journeys, however, they are so expensive, that it is not profitable to buy them. To really save some money, you would have to overcome a day until 300 Km, what about the speeds, what Indian trains develop, would take as long as 6 Hours!
The price of these tickets includes the cost of the reservation, but they do not guarantee seating. They are of little use then either, when there are no seats available on the train: their holders are put on the waiting list, just like all the other passengers. The only advantage of Indrail is this, that you do not have to waste time queuing at the cash registers, to purchase tickets without seats.
A typical tourist traveling in India can travel by train approx. 3000 Km. For a monthly Indrail ticket, in carriages with air conditioning, will pay 500 $. Tickets purchased during the trip will cost you approx. 100-160 $, depending on the number of trips and distances traveled. Even if he traveled twice as long, it will incur much lower costs anyway. It is similar with the Indrail ticket 2. class: monthly costs 110 $, while the total price of separately purchased tickets varies between 12a 25 $.
Children below 12 years they travel at a discount 50%. Indrail tickets can be purchased at the stations of major cities. Foreigners pay for them in dollars or pounds sterling, both cash, as well as traveler's checks, as well as rupees, as long as they have a cash exchange certificate. Main Indrail Ticket Offices:
Railway Tburist Guide, Eastern Railway, Fairlie Place oraz Central Reservation Office, So-uth-Eastern Railway, Esplanade Mansion, while in Delhi – Railway Tourist Guide, New Delhi Railway Station.
These tickets can also be purchased at the booking offices in Sekundarabad-Hyderabad, Rameswaramie, Bangalore, Vasco da Gama, Gorakhpurze (only for rupees), Jąjpur and Trivandrum, and also in some tourist offices.