Food at Shatabdi Express

steven_ber · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:29

As far as I'm aware........

Some seats are held back for 'day of departure' sale on all Shatabdi trains (I don't know if the same applies to Jan Shatabdi trains).

I first noticed this at Chennai Central station when tickets were being sold from a special booth at the start of the platform; I've been told by a few 'in the know' friends that this is the case for all Shatabdi trains.

It would be interesting to know if this is still the case, I've advised a few people to get tickets this way, but none have come back to let me know if all went well. (they’re probably not speaking to me anymore after they were forced to stand on one leg for 6 hours in 2nd class)

cyberhippie · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:30

Usually they send their "boy" who has a relationship with the reservation folks. Just ask at the hotel if they know a good travel agent who can do this. And don't pay the whole amount up front, get a receipt as you would do anywhere else!!

ONe word of warning, the travel agent amy or may not go the extra mile for you if your train of choice is booked out. make it plain that you want to look up other classes and options should your first choice be booked out. Obviously your best representative for this is always yourself but I've met a few travel agents who did a lot of work on my behalf!! And got me on busy trains, experience will vary though!!

cyberhippie · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:31

Yeah it's still the case Steven but I supect it's a limited number, therefor a big chance to take on your chosen day of departure!!

cyberhippie · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:35

Also a train pass maybe a good idea, doesn't the holder of a first class Indiarail pass also have access to Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses. Making it pretty cost effective!

mangrove · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:38

Thanks Cyberhippie, as I suspect - mixed bag with travel agents. Thanks for the taking a receipt tip and not paying everything in advance! I was also wondering what they would do if your first option is booked. You say that I should make sure to have a second choice? Do I give them this second choice upfront? Do you mean that if I do not offer them a second choice upfront, they might show up - say the train is booked and still charge me the fee?

How does it work, do they charge a fixed fee for booking the ticket?

How do you tell a good travel agent apart from a not so good one? Any recommendations for Delhi?

Thanks!

cyberhippie · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:47

Yeah there's a guy just outside the Star Palace Guesthouse who used to book tickets for me. They will charge per ticket though.
Tes give them a seconfd option if they can't get you on atrain tell them to look at all the options!!
In Delhi the tourist Cell is easily navigatible and the staff are absolutely amazing in their knowledge of trains, you might just want to book here on your own!! It's on the second floor of New Delhi Train Station.
The trains At A Glance can be purchased here as well, DON'T buy the TAAG outside the station, these are pirate and abridged versions of the real Train At A Glance!!!

mangrove · Dec 17th, 2006, 21:56

Thanks Cyberhippie,

Yes I've been told that Delhi isn't so bad with the tourist reservation booth.

I guess a first place to ask about a reliable travel agent is always the hotel and I'm sure the Rough Guide/ Lonely Planet will have recommendations too...

What happens though if Option 1 and 2 fail - and they book me onto a train I don't want to take? Maybe best to give a bunch of options in order of preference... dunno?

I wouldn't want to get booked on a train that takes a lot longer for instance, if you know what I mean... or arrives at an inconvenient time in the middle of the night.

infinion · Dec 18th, 2006, 00:45

this time, sept 06 , when i visited jaipur , himachal , uttaranchal , i travelled 3 shatabdis - ajmer/kalka /dehradun shatabdis. all tickets were booked on internet.( try http://www.indianrail.gov.in/index.html). booking at rly station in delhi very tedious. i learnt a lesson last time. dehradun shatabdi is faster method to reach higher garhwal destinations same day from delhi.

i agree , they always disturb you with food service. you will not get sleep. i rate food on ajmer shatabdi excellent. evening they serve sweetened curd on earthern pot. yummy.

but i noted , all shatabdis run late.

i travelled once in exe. class. better food - for b/f they serve milk/cornflakes. most govt babus travel by exe. class. so you get more attention. there are more staff.

but compared with domestic indian flights , food in shatabdi much better

steven_ber · Dec 18th, 2006, 02:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyberhippie

Also a train pass maybe a good idea, doesn't the holder of a first class Indiarail pass also have access to Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses. Making it pretty cost effective!

All Indrail passes are valid on Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains, HOWEVER......

Two day, One day & half day passes get downgraded on Rajdhani expresses.

If you have a 1A pass you have to travel in 2A, if you have a 2A pass, you have to travel in 3A.

This is not the case for other passes.

sabby80 · Dec 18th, 2006, 03:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangrove

That sounds like a great idea Cyberhippie!

Paying someone to do it for you, how do you go about finding someone reliable to book a train ticket? Do they send someone to do it in person or do it over the phone while you are there.

Kinda curious to find out how that works...

For 100 bucks they'll get u a ticket & for abt 300 they'll even get u a seat on train thats completely booked out! on the other hand its also quite possible here in india thats they'll qt literally run anway with ur money!!

Indian railways online ticketing site doesnt work half the time otherwise its pretty decent! hoever if ur just interested in checking out the train timetable, seat availability - this is a better site - http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_metro_trns.html

sabby80 · Dec 18th, 2006, 03:05

if ur sure abt ur travel dates then I'd reccomend u get e tickets - why waste ur time dealing with touts & waiting inlong Qs

mangrove · Dec 19th, 2006, 01:12

Thanks Sabby!

Yes, that's what I'm leaning towards too - getting a few e tickets at least for the portion of the journey that we are sure of. Seems like it would save a lot of hassle.

You mentioned that agents might run away with money when booking a ticket. Don't you pay when you have the ticket in hand? It would be ridiculous to pay ahead of time and if that's the way it's done - I'd rather pass.

sabby80 · Dec 19th, 2006, 13:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangrove

You mentioned that agents might run away with money when booking a ticket. Don't you pay when you have the ticket in hand? It would be ridiculous to pay ahead of time and if that's the way it's done - I'd rather pass.

mangrove, most agents will ask you to pay the entire amount of the ticket in advance, only their cut they'll take once they hand over the ticket to u. If u do end up in a situation where u hav to book tics here in India then I'd suggest u either make a trip to the nearest booking office or talk to the guys at the hotel in which ur staying - they'll charge u a few extra bucks but at least u'll get peace of mind in return! If the train is completely booked out - then u'll hav to pay qt a bit of extra cash. The railways here have a few seats in every train reserved under EQ (Emergency Quota) which is there basically for the babus(bureaucrats) & the politicians. And since these neo kings of the land dont normally use up all the EQ seats - the wily agent bribes his contacts in the railway & gets u the EQ seats!!

cheers!
sabby

mangrove · Dec 20th, 2006, 02:30

Ah I see, better to do e-tickets where we are sure and deal with what happens in the other spots. Hope booking online goes smoothly.

Thanks a lot, really appreciate it!

pan_nv · Dec 20th, 2006, 04:46

I think now they have registered railway ticket agent, some of them are connected directly the railway computers. I know this is true in mumbai. I think they charge you anywhere between Repees 100-125 worth it since you don't have to stand in line and you can also chat and find out all your options in case the trains are full. There is also something called tatkaal - URGENT which cost a little more but I think those are just for second class.
Happy travels

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:29	#31
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: South of England. Posts: 11,566	As far as I'm aware........ Some seats are held back for 'day of departure' sale on all Shatabdi trains (I don't know if the same applies to Jan Shatabdi trains). I first noticed this at Chennai Central station when tickets were being sold from a special booth at the start of the platform; I've been told by a few 'in the know' friends that this is the case for all Shatabdi trains. It would be interesting to know if this is still the case, I've advised a few people to get tickets this way, but none have come back to let me know if all went well. (they’re probably not speaking to me anymore after they were forced to stand on one leg for 6 hours in 2nd class) __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information. RAC & Waitlists explained.

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Dec 17th, 2006, 21:30	#32
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	Usually they send their "boy" who has a relationship with the reservation folks. Just ask at the hotel if they know a good travel agent who can do this. And don't pay the whole amount up front, get a receipt as you would do anywhere else!! ONe word of warning, the travel agent amy or may not go the extra mile for you if your train of choice is booked out. make it plain that you want to look up other classes and options should your first choice be booked out. Obviously your best representative for this is always yourself but I've met a few travel agents who did a lot of work on my behalf!! And got me on busy trains, experience will vary though!!

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:31	#33
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	Yeah it's still the case Steven but I supect it's a limited number, therefor a big chance to take on your chosen day of departure!!

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:35	#34
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	Also a train pass maybe a good idea, doesn't the holder of a first class Indiarail pass also have access to Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses. Making it pretty cost effective!

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:38	#35
mangrove Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 292	Thanks Cyberhippie, as I suspect - mixed bag with travel agents. Thanks for the taking a receipt tip and not paying everything in advance! I was also wondering what they would do if your first option is booked. You say that I should make sure to have a second choice? Do I give them this second choice upfront? Do you mean that if I do not offer them a second choice upfront, they might show up - say the train is booked and still charge me the fee? How does it work, do they charge a fixed fee for booking the ticket? How do you tell a good travel agent apart from a not so good one? Any recommendations for Delhi? Thanks!

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:47	#36
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	Yeah there's a guy just outside the Star Palace Guesthouse who used to book tickets for me. They will charge per ticket though. Tes give them a seconfd option if they can't get you on atrain tell them to look at all the options!! In Delhi the tourist Cell is easily navigatible and the staff are absolutely amazing in their knowledge of trains, you might just want to book here on your own!! It's on the second floor of New Delhi Train Station. The trains At A Glance can be purchased here as well, DON'T buy the TAAG outside the station, these are pirate and abridged versions of the real Train At A Glance!!!

Dec 17th, 2006, 21:56	#37
mangrove Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 292	Thanks Cyberhippie, Yes I've been told that Delhi isn't so bad with the tourist reservation booth. I guess a first place to ask about a reliable travel agent is always the hotel and I'm sure the Rough Guide/ Lonely Planet will have recommendations too... What happens though if Option 1 and 2 fail - and they book me onto a train I don't want to take? Maybe best to give a bunch of options in order of preference... dunno? I wouldn't want to get booked on a train that takes a lot longer for instance, if you know what I mean... or arrives at an inconvenient time in the middle of the night.

Dec 18th, 2006, 00:45	#38
infinion Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: dubai - sharjah . TATWAMASI Posts: 130	this time, sept 06 , when i visited jaipur , himachal , uttaranchal , i travelled 3 shatabdis - ajmer/kalka /dehradun shatabdis. all tickets were booked on internet.( try http://www.indianrail.gov.in/index.html). booking at rly station in delhi very tedious. i learnt a lesson last time. dehradun shatabdi is faster method to reach higher garhwal destinations same day from delhi. i agree , they always disturb you with food service. you will not get sleep. i rate food on ajmer shatabdi excellent. evening they serve sweetened curd on earthern pot. yummy. but i noted , all shatabdis run late. i travelled once in exe. class. better food - for b/f they serve milk/cornflakes. most govt babus travel by exe. class. so you get more attention. there are more staff. but compared with domestic indian flights , food in shatabdi much better

Dec 18th, 2006, 03:05	#41
sabby80 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 139	if ur sure abt ur travel dates then I'd reccomend u get e tickets - why waste ur time dealing with touts & waiting inlong Qs

Dec 19th, 2006, 01:12	#42
mangrove Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 292	Thanks Sabby! Yes, that's what I'm leaning towards too - getting a few e tickets at least for the portion of the journey that we are sure of. Seems like it would save a lot of hassle. You mentioned that agents might run away with money when booking a ticket. Don't you pay when you have the ticket in hand? It would be ridiculous to pay ahead of time and if that's the way it's done - I'd rather pass.

Dec 20th, 2006, 02:30	#44
mangrove Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 292	Ah I see, better to do e-tickets where we are sure and deal with what happens in the other spots. Hope booking online goes smoothly. Thanks a lot, really appreciate it!

Dec 20th, 2006, 04:46	#45
pan_nv Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: sin city Posts: 79	I think now they have registered railway ticket agent, some of them are connected directly the railway computers. I know this is true in mumbai. I think they charge you anywhere between Repees 100-125 worth it since you don't have to stand in line and you can also chat and find out all your options in case the trains are full. There is also something called tatkaal - URGENT which cost a little more but I think those are just for second class. Happy travels