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The Indrail pass is an unlimited 'travel as you like' ticket valid for a specific period on the entire railway network in India. It can be used in a flexible manner to fit into an open schedule or for a planned itinerary where railway reservations for specific sectors are pre-booked from the UK in advance.

ADVANTAGES.

No reservation fee for berths or seats.
Rail reservations can be arranged from UK, if the Indrail pass is purchased well in advance. Rail reservations are arranged FREE of cost. Thus saving time by avoiding lengthy queues at railway stations for rail bookings. On arrival at each station re-confirmation of the reservations is advisable.
No sleeper berth surcharge for night journeys for any class of accommodation (indirect saving of hotel cost).
No extra charge for travelling by faster trains.
Free meals on the Rajdhani & Shatabdi expresses.
Railway retiring rooms at nominal rates (subject to availability).
Access to waiting halls at stations.
Usage of left luggage offices for storage of luggage at nominal rates.
Free luggage allowance on trains. AC Class: 70 kg; IST Cl/AC II Tier: 50 kg; 2nd Cl: 35 kg. (Chidren between 5 and 11: half allowance).

LIMITATIONS.

The Indrail pass is non-transferable. It should always be carried along with your passport.
The ticket is a travel authority. It is subject to rules of reservation. Transportation is governed by the provision of the Indian Railways Act & related procedures.
Seat/berths should be booked well in advance. Short day time journeys may be possible in unreserved compartments.

To view the rules on Indrail passes click here.

CLASS OF TRAVEL

This is a constant area of confusion, largely, because of the terminology. For example, Ist class is the third highest category in Indian Railways. The highest category of Indian Railway travel is called AC Class. This is then followed by a class called Ist class which includes AC 2 Tier, Standard Ist class and AC chaircar. The bottom category of Indian Railways is referred to as 2nd class. Choose from three different indrail pass plans.

(1) AC Class:

Offers air conditioned accommodation for two berth (one up & one down) or four berth (2 up & 2 down) locakable compartments for overnight journeys and air conditioned executive class seating for short journeys such as the Shatabadi express trains to Agra from Delhi ; linen/blankets; facility of shower/toilet at either end of the carriage & attendant services. Listed below is a plan view of this type of accommodation.

A photo of the AC Class 4 berth compartment is shown below:-

AC Class 4 berth compartment

AC executive Class

If you travel by daytime short journeys such as Shatabdi expresses AC executive class is the highest available class. This is similar to aircraft type seats. Diagram of AC executive class is given below:

General Advise on AC Class.

This is the most comfortable method of travel on Indian Railways. There are 1 or 2 points to look out for before purchasing this type of ticket.

Work out your railway itinerary (if you need help send us an email or if this is not enough obtain a 'Trains at a Glance' timetable or look up the times on the Indian Railways website). Check whether the trains you intend to travel have the AC Class service. If you find that a large number of trains in your itinerary have AC class, then this would be the most suitable product for you as it would justify the extra expenditure. Otherwise, you may find that you have purchased the Top AC Class but are travelling by AC 2 Tier for your journeys.
AC Class sectors exist in major routes. If you are travelling by Rajdhani expresses, then this is one of the most enjoyable experiences for AC Class travel. If you are purchasing this type of ticket it is well worth adding the sectors which have Shatabdi expresses and Rajdhani expresses. In such circumstances, it is well worth purchasing this type of ticket even if there is a lower percentage of AC class availability on your proposed routes.

(2) Ist Class permits travel in AC II Tier, AC III Tier, Standard Ist Class or AC Chaircar.

There are basin/toilet facilities at either end of the carriage. Bedding is provided in AC II Tier and AC III Tier but not provided in Standard Ist class but can be ordered against payment in advance at certain stations.

AC II Tier:

Air conditioned corridor carriage that sleeps 46 people split up into 2 & 4 berth cubicles facing each other separated by curtains. A diagram of the layout is shown below:-

AC II Tier

A photo of AC II Tier is shown below:-

AC III Tier

AC III Tier is exactly the same as AC II Tier in layout except that it is based on 6 berth cubicles instead of 4 berth cubicles. Hence, it is split up into 2 & 6 berth cubicles facing each other separated by curtains.

Standard Ist Class:

Offers non air conditioned accommodation for two berth (one up & one down) or four berth (2 up & 2 down). Note: The policy of the Indian Railways is to phase out Standard Ist Class). This layout is similar to the plan view diagram of the Air Conditioned Class carriage but without: air conditioning; bedding; in many cases attendant services. A photo of the same is shown below:-

Standard First Class

AC Chaircar:

Air conditioned carriage with reclining seats. A photo of the same is shown below:-

AC Chaircar

(3) Second class:

Seats/berths (in some cases wooden and in some cushioned) and toilets (Indian style). We do not recommend second class travel for travellers.

COST

The cost of the Indrail pass is dependent on the class and duration of travel. Details are given below:-

Prices of Indrail Passes in US Dollars (Effective from 01 apr 1999
Duration (Days)	AC Class	Ist Cl/AC II Tier/AC Ch	2nd Class
Half *	57	26	11
One *	95	43	19
Two *	160	70	30
4	220	110	50
7	270	135	80
15	370	185	90
21	396	198	100
30	495	248	125
60	800	400	185
90	1060	530	235

* : Half day, one day & two days passes are pre-dated and pre-timed. For example if a person wishes to travel on the Mandore express (train 2462) from Jodhpur - Delhi, then he can avail of a half day pass. Train departs Jodhpur at 1930 hrs and arrives in Delhi at 0630 hrs the following morning. As the journey concludes within 12 hours of the journey (i.e. 0730 hrs the following morning), this is valid. Similarly, a person travelling from Bombay - Bangalore on train 1013 can obtain a one day pass as the train starts at 2220 and arrives in Bangalore at 2205 hrs on the following day. The dates and times are not changeable. Reservations can be made on the trains from the UK.
Two days, One Day & half day passes get downgraded on Rajdhani expresses. If you have an AC class pass you have to travel in AC 2 tier. If you have an AC 2 tier pass, you have to travel in AC 3 tier. This is not the case for duration passes (4 days right up to 90 days).

Note: With the exception of half day, one day & two days passes, all Indrail passes start at one minute past midnight of Day 1 and conclude at one minute to midnight of the concluding day. For example if a person purchases a 15 Days Indrail pass starting from 15 Dec 2002, he or she is allowed to start using it on any train fom 0001 on 15 Dec 2002. All travel must then be completed by 2359 hrs on 29 Dec 2002.

To view the rules on Indrail passes click here.

Scenic Train Rides in India

There are many scenic train rides in India. It is not possible to list them all. Hence, we have listed a few as below:-

Konkan Railway Bombay - Goa - Mangalore. Scenic run through the western ghats. Most noticeable feature are the long tunnels. There is one tunnel which is approx. 6 kms long taking 7 minutes to get through. There is a day time train from Bombay - Goa. Times are:
Dep Bombay 0655 Arr Madgaon (Goa) 1845.
Dep Madgaon (Goa) 1030 Arr Bombay 2130. You can also travel on the southern section (i.e. Goa - Cochin) by day. Approx. times are listed below:-
Dep Madgaon (Goa) 0735 Arr Cochin 2355 (Sun, Mon & Tue)
Dep Cochin 1155 Arr Madgaon (Goa) 0320 (daily)

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Newjalpaiguri - Darjeeling. Arguably, the greatest ride in the world. Special 2 foot narrow gauge railway referred to toy train: that goes through towns where school children walk and run side by side; has reversing sections; excellent loops such as Chunbati and Batasia (at Ghoom); beatiful scenery. It climbs from just 500 feet above sea level to 7,407 feet above sealevel at Ghoom.
This has recently been classified as a world heritage site. Did you also know that there is a society called the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society. For details click here. Approx. Times:
Dep Newjalpaiguri 0900 - Arr Darjeeling 1610.
Dep Darjeeling 0915 - Arr Newjalpaiguri 1650.
Note: This train runs subject to local weather and weather related track conditions.

Ootacamund Rack Railway: Mettupalayam - Ootacamund. Narrow gauge steam run till Coonoor. This railway runs with a central track that engages to prevent downward slides. This railway has tunnels, bridges and excellent tea plantation scenery. Approx. times:
Dep Mettupalayam 0710 Arr Ootacamund 1200. (Daily)
Dep Ootacamund 1500 Arr Mettupalayam 1835. (Daily)
Note: This train runs subject to local weather and weather related track conditions.

Shimla Toy Train: From Kalka - Shimla. Excellent run on the Shiwalik express early morning with breakfast in Barog. Beautiful scenery along the route and the existence of many tunnels en-route (around 100 tunnels on this trip).
Approx. Times:
Dep Kalka 0530 Arr Shimla 1015. (Daily).
Dep Kalka 1210 Arr Shimla 1720. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1030 Arr Kalka 1605. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1740 Arr Kalka 2220. (Daily).