Delhi-Agra-Varanasi Train

This is a very popular route I am sure ... and many travellers I am sure plan on taking at one point in their India trip. I searched around for something specific on this route and found nothing reall, so Im wondering if our experts here at IM can give us newbies some light on it .

How many trains a day can get you from Delhi/Agra to Varanasi?
How is the booking situation? How many days in advance would be ideal? Taking in consideration the seasons (in my case im interested during monsoon season june/july).
For getting tourist tickets, where are the offices in Delhi and Agra?

I say this because I cant book the ticket as I dont know dates for sure yet... I have a hard time putting it in my head that I will have to leave a certain day because I have a ticket .. if you know what I mean.

How is the Delhi Train Station at early hours? Read 1am - 5 am ..
See, I arrive at 11pm in Delhi and plan to head to Agra first thing in the morning (train at 6) .. and Im wondering as of security , maybe things to do around the station at early hrs (24hr facilities), but most importantly ... is the ticket office open??
Im sure the cues would be shorter if they were open .. but are they open at 2 am of a friday morning?

Thanks

please?

Vagabond, I can't answer all your questions, but this might at least be a start; we travelled all over India for five weeks, and while I don''t think we ever visited a major railway station at 2 a.m., we had the odd occasion when we visited them at 12:45 a.m (Agra) and 5:30 a.m.(Jodhpur), and I can tell you, there seemed to be just as many people around then as at any other time. The rickshaw drivers won't miss a departure or arrival in case the customer of their dreams -- someone who only knows what things cost in New York, and wouldn't dream of being vulgar enough to bargain -- happens to come along. The ticket office was open after midnight at Agra, and there were plenty of people on duty; I think even the food vendors were still working; and I note that virtually all the cloak rooms (which we used frequently) boast that they're open 24-hours. There are even special waiting rooms for high-paying tourists, and these are open (with someone on duty to check your tickets in case a third-class passenger tries to sneak in) around the clock also. My impression is that your hope that in the wee small hours you won't find a queue is doomed to disappointment.

There are at least twenty trains a day from Delhi to Agra. You can find details on all of them at the official Indian train site: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/. I don't know about trains from Agra to Varanasi. but if you type in those two stations on the "trains between important stations" on this site, all will be revealed.

Ah Jarman_ah

Thanks so much for your reply. The country that never sleeps ... pretty exciting. I do wonder if anyone has been in a station in the really wee hours of the morning I plan on sitting at Delhi station from 2-6 .. maybe ill do some sightseeing. Could be fun.

Still wondering about how long before I should get an Agra-Varanasi ticket ..

Thanks again

Like Jarman-Ah said, train stations at night generally spring to life when a train arrives or is set to leave, inbetween there's just a whole lotta passengers like yourself milling about or napping on the platform. You'll never forget it. Watch your gear in New Delhi Station after that long flight, the pickpockets and pursesnatchers know where the action is.

About the tickets, I would normally say just get it as soon as you know you want to get out of a place. Since most people only spend a day or so in Agra it seems however, you might want to book it in advance, together with your Delhi-Agra ticket that you may want to order online as soon as you know your flight details. If you prefer your freedom of movement then you have to be prepared to get stuck for a few days or longer for want of a reserved seat, or to try your luck in unreserved class. Can be jam-packed, can be empty, although Agra-Varanasi I'd count on jam-packed I think. You can always look into buses if you're stuck, but Agra-Varanasi is some distance I'd say.

I have a flight confirmed as of one week only ..
I am certain that Agra-Varanasi will be done the night of the 24th .. how would i go ahead and make the reservation ? itd be too late to send it to my home.. plus they cant send it to a hotel since my first night sleep will (hypothetically) be on this train.

So machadinha .. is the ticket office open at 3 am?

thanks for the advice

Hmz yes good point, my India days were pre-internet booking so I never had to think about it really, ahh life was so much simpler then Hadn't thought about where to get the tickets delivered either.

I've no idea about the tourist office, nor what station you'll be at, I assume New Delhi Railway Station. The tourist ticket thing used to be upstairs if it still is, there'd be a gang of touts harassing you on your way there and from what I read this hasn't gotten any easier but the office itself is OK and efficient. I don't know about Recife but you might find the scene recognizable really.

Anyway I wouldn't be surprised if it's closed at night, I'm sure others can tell. The deal if I remember correctly, and at such a big station it may well work differently, is you then just proceed to the normal booth or the station master if there is none who will get you a ticket. This can be arranged at the smallest of stations,* they're the same tickets, only the tourist thing is supposed to be quicker for you, and it usually is, you'll only find them in the major cities anyway. The regular booth or for lack of one the station master may well spring into action only when your train is set to leave. Again, I imagine New Delhi Station may work very differently. What it boils down to is yes if you can get a hold of someone you can enquire about a ticket for the Agra-Varanasi stretch I believe. Ask about tourist quotas and VIP quotas if everything's booked full, there are some seats reserved for people in your position.

In short, try your luck and all bets might really be off as to whether you'll be able to get a reserved ticket. Have you got the Delhi-Agra stretch covered? That's just 2-3 hours anyway so would be doable in unreserved I think if you have to, it will be godawful hot and stuffy this time of year though I imagine. In unreserved class I think you can even just get the ticket on board but I'm not sure. As a tourist there are also tricks like getting in reserved class with an unreserved ticket and paying the extra fee if there is a place I think, if not you'll be unceremoniously removed to unreserved class however, unless the conductor is willing to turn a blind eye out of sympathy for another silly tourist. I don't know, it's been a while.

Maybe in the morning the train gurus will be around to give further advice. Standing there tired in the middle of the night with your gear and asking for directions with "new arrival" written all over your face and everyone nodding at you and asking you silly questions and you not knowing do they mean yes or no or maybe or what... you'll manage, but you have my sympathy Be aware that to an Indian it's often more polite to answer you even if they don't have a clue than to tell you that they don't, so it's um well challenging sometimes shall we say.

*edit: Of course for onwards tickets, at a small station that has no computer/telegraphic whatever link to a major station booking a seat for major train X 100 miles ahead may well be impossible come to think of it. I seem to remember you could procure some kind of voucher at the most surprising places but the details are lost in memory...

Are you planning to visit Agra on a Friday ?? If yes, your trip is likely to be a waste, as The Taj is closed on Fridays.

It'll be better if you spend the Friday in Delhi and book your train ticket for the next morning's Shatabdi Express to Agra.

Wow, this is the information Ive been needing.

From the information I got, Im thinking maybe itd be a good idea to spend the first day in Delhi then? Which means that I could maybe get the agra-varanasi ticket and have it sent to my delhi hotel ? if so .. how would i do this?

as for the delhi-agra trip machadinha .. im thinking of doing unreserved since its shortest of my train rides , meaning itll be the best opportunity to get the feel of indian trains. exciting


But then again .. maybe its a good time to ask your opinions. Im doing Kathmandu as well and my original plan is to head to Varanasi first and make my way up by land to Nepal and take a flight back to Delhi. But Ive been considering flying first to Kathmandu, then heading to Varanasi by land then back to Delhi.

Thanks for the help

You have to register here to book an on-line ticket, which will be sent to your Delhi hotel. Before doing so, decide the hotel where you'll be staying and send a message to its manager asking whether he'll accept your ticket and hand it over to you on arrival. If he agrees, note down the hotel's detailed address, including the PIN code, as you'll need to feed this in your booking process.

Yes, you can take a chance unreserved for the Delhi-Agra trip, but then Shatabdi Express is ruled out. Try the early morning Taj Express, which leaves from Hazrat Nizamuddin station, not from New Delhi station.

All the best !

Maybe you could go from Delhi to Varanasi first; there's an express leaving New Delhi Station Friday mornings at 0630, arriving at Varanasi at 2000.

I don't think you can pick up your internet-reserved tickets at the station out of business hours, although I am not sure about this, and Steven Ber is the one to ask about that side of things -- see his posts. I think, however, that I read that you can buy train tickets at the airport at Delhi, so if you do this as soon as you arrive, you ought to have a good chance of getting on that express with one of the many "quotas" they have to ensure that visitors are well looked-after. You can get a 3AC sleeper at a very moderate cost, and you'd probably need it after a plane flight and sitting up for six hours!

You need to check past posts about buying the train tickets at Delhi airport -- this is only a vague memory from a month ago, and I wouldn't like to steer you in the wrong direction!

[QUOTE=jarman_ah] I think, however, that I read that you can buy train tickets at the airport at Delhi, so if you do this as soon as you arrive, you ought to have a good chance of getting on that express with one of the many "quotas" they have to ensure that visitors are well looked[QUOTE]

Booking tickets as soon as he arrives is ruled out, as the computerised booking offices operate from 08=00 a.m. to 08=00 p.m. In some places I believe the closing time is 10=00 p.m., though I'm not sure about this. If vagabond's flight touches down right time at 11.00 p.m., it'll be close to 12=30 a.m. by the time he's through with customs, etc.

Ok, buying train tickets at the airport seems like a dream come true. Hopefully someone will come to straighten this up.
Im excited to see the chaos of an indian train station ...

question out of impulse: on sleeper trains, travelling alone, how risky of getting robbed would you think it is leaving the bag tied and locked somewhere when going to the bathroom? i thought of it out of the blue .. could be quite a problem.

thanks again for the help



(Just read Shimlas post) ... well .. i guess thats ruled out. too bad.

ps You were asking about security. It's nothing to be very paranoid about but both Delhi-Agra and Agra-Varanasi are well-known tourist routes (domestic as well) I think so do keep an extra eye on your stuff. I don't know if you're travelling alone but if there's more of you always have one person watching your gear while the others do whatever. Don't walk away "assuming" the others are paying attention, ask them to mind your stuff. The chaotic getting in and out of trains is notorious for things suddenly going missing (i.e., someone asks you something or spills tea over you or whatever, you turn around to answer, and gone is that bag), and a carelessly placed daypack can easily disappear out the window just like that, even if you had thought it would never fit between those bars.

Again, it's nothing to get overly worried about and I've heard (far) worse stories from Brazil but it pays to be aware of it I guess. You'll find the stations and most of India generally safe and the people mostly helpful, a little too much so at times Maybe it's good for you to know that violent robbery is exceedingly uncommon, at least not directed against tourists.

Unless you change your plans around I'd just book both tickets in Delhi as quickly as you can, then hang around in Delhi for a bit if and as needed which is not a bad idea to unwind and maybe do a little sightseeing anyway (the nightly sound & light show nearby the Red Fort is always good fun I think, if it's still running -- bring mosquito repellent; before or after you can check out Chandni Chowk and Old Delhi, nice at night), it seems like you'll be stuck that Friday anyway. I don't know how much time you have though.

Never had a thing going missing in 3.5 months of travelling around "alone" (half of it with people I'd meet on the way) that way. Well I got pickpocketed out of my last money on one of the final days but that's a different story. You can try and leave your stuff near to trustworthy-looking families or so too or ask them to pay attention, kind of like what you do at home. Carry your valuables on your body (at night as well) and other valuable items in a daybag that you keep with you and use as a pillow at night or something. Having a bedsheet that you crawl into at night is both practical for cleanliness and comfort and adds just a little extra security. Never ever leave your valuables (money, documents) alone even for one second in your hotel room or anything, keep with you at all times, at least at the lower-end places which I take it you'll be using.

Your fellow passengers are not normally the problem I think, it's more the petty thieves that sneak on and off during stops, although they may well pose as passengers of course. It's a controversial topic here but securing your bag with a light chain is quite acceptable and there are special braces provided to secure them to; if you sleep in the upper bunk you can just attach it to the structure itself and use it as a pillow for extra security at night. Don't think heavy duty, no one is coming after you with a chainsaw, it's just against the grab-and-run kind of action. Locking up your pack doesn't hurt either, keep a book and things like your camera and some other nonsense in a daybag as noted. Well we all have our own approaches I guess.

Note that all of this is from experience in 2nd Class Sleeper trains, I have no experience of AC class which might be different, and which you might want to use this time of year, but then I take it you're on a tight budget. (3AC or Aircon Chair are the next best classes I believe and not that expensive, you might want to look into them esp. for longer journeys. 2nd Class Sleeper comes with fans if they're working, and with open windows for some fresh air.) Conversely, fumbling about with a chain and padlock in unreserved class might be a rude gesture indeed, observe what your fellow passengers do with their luggage.

Most of all have fun man, you'll figure it out as soon as that plane touches down but I understand the pre-departure jitters