Visit India by Rail

Travelling within India

India by Rail

The Indian Railways network is incredibly extensive (the second largest in the world) and if you want to see the country unfold in front of you, this may be the best mode of travel. The rail network, of course, is more extensive than the air network and may take you to a greater number of places. The Railways operate nearly 7,800 passenger services a day over a route length of approximately 63,000 km.

You could opt for the luxury tourist trains such as Palace-on-Wheels and the Royal Orient, the superfast Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains of the older regular trains which are divided into 15 zones. Most trains run daily. However, tourist or other special holiday trains may have a limited schedule. Special holiday trains are also often run during holidays and festivals. There are also steamhauled 'toy-trains' in the hills which offer a quaint experience. You may wish to acquire a railways time-table book available at railway-station bookshops to know the exact train schedules.

The regular trains usually have the following classes of accommodation: a/c 1st class, a/c 2-tier sleeper, a/c 3-tier sleeper, a/c executive chair car, a/c chair car, 1st class, sleeper class and 2nd class.

Tourist Trains

Palace on Wheels
This air-conditioned train takes you on a week-long journey through Rajasthan in eight days (Delhi-to-Delhi) covering the historic cities of Jaipur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra. Each coach has four coupes with wall-to-wall carpeting, a bar and two restaurant cars serving Continental, Indian and Rajasthani cuisine.

Each compartment has an attached bath with running hot/cold water and showers, built-in wardrobes, overhead and night lights, piped music, reading lights, etc. The furniture is specially created for the Palace-on-Wheels. At the end of each coach is a separate lounge where passangers can relax when they wish to move out of their bedrooms. Here they can unwind with a magazine, engage in conversation, or watch as the panorama of the Indian desert unfolds.

The train leaves at 22.45 hrs. every Wednesday from Delhi Cantonment Railway Station.

Royal Orient Express
A unique experience offered by Indian Railways, The Royal Orient takes you on a journey through two of India's most culturally fascinating states, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Operational between September and April, the trains leaves from Delhi Cantonment, halting at some of the 'royal' cities, including chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Palitana, Sasangir, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Accommodation is mainly in coupes and each carriage has a lounge, mini-bar, kitchenette and modern toilets with running hot water and cold water. The air-conditioned interior is furnished with a bar, multicuisine restaurants and a library.

Rajdhani Express
These superfast, air-conditioned, deluxe trains are some of India's best in terms of efficiency and service quality. The Rajdhani trains connect Delhi to Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubhaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Abu Road, Ajmer amongst others and also operate on several other city pairs.

Shatabdi Express
These are superfast inter-city trains which have established a reputation in service and punctuality over the years. Snacks, meals, mineral water and reading material is supplied aboard the train which is included in the cost of the ticket. A shatabdi route connects a metro city with other major and secondary centres. The two classes on these trains are chair car and excutive class.

Toy Trains
These trains, operating on narrow-gauge tracks - hence the name toy trains - laid during the British days, link stations in the plains to hill stations and offer a laidback experience, where passengers can take in the diverse mountain scenery at leisure.

Fairy Queen
This is the oldest running locomotive in the world, which has earned it a place in the Guiness Book of Records. With a seating capacity of 50, the train does weekend trips from Delhi to Alwar - allowing tourists to experience the heritage hotel and tiger sanctuary at Sariska. The train does limited runs between October and February.