Indarail Passes

mrmojorisin

Hey,
Quick question about the Indarail passes, because I'm a little confused.

I am going for 30 days in August this year, and we are starting in Delhi. There is 3 of us, and we were just planning on getting there, getting the pass then just sort of taking it as it goes. Every thread i read talks about planning the trip ahead of time...is that absolutely necessary? If we buy a 15 or 21 day pass once we get there will we be able to get spots on trains without a forward reservation? We are planning on just getting sleeper class passes and travelling south from Delhi down the west coast then back up on the east coast.

I was thinking we would completely safe doing that...but i'm worried after reading some threads that we won't be able to get spots!

And i guess any other tips for 3 students travelling india would be much appreciated! i've read a bunch of threads on these boards but don't really know what i ABSOLUTELY need. We are all very flexible and really want to experiance all that India can show us in 30 days, and not take a pampered vacation.

Cheers,
Mr mojo

steven_ber

You may want to read the following thread.

Is an Indrail pass worth the money?

You still need to get reservations when you have an Indrail pass (though the pass has been known to help make reservations appear).

A lot depends on what you will do with your time, If you are just going to be travelling around Rajasthan, hiring a Car & driver for a couple of weeks may be a good option, it would certainly give you good value for money (because there are 3 of you), you can stop wherever you like, and a good driver will try to keep the touts away from you.

Indiamike members Lily and Namaste India Tours both have a good reputation amongst members of this site, perhaps you could send them both a private message explaining what you are looking for and they may get back to you with favourable prices.

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How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

cyberhippie

Ha you'll get a mixed response to this one!
Some will say flexibility is everything book as you go,

"just go on the tourist quota"

"you will always get a ticket the day before no problem"

"Just jump on the train they'll find you a seat"
After extensive travel in India over the last few years I really don't think that this is the full picture.
Most of the statements above are true... most of the time but contrary to popular belief being a tourist won't always get you on a train. Not all trains have tourist quotas. There are a lot of tourist in India and tourist quotas are finite and sometimes only amount to a handful of seats on a given train so quotas fill up especially on the busier tourist routes!
Trying to book with only a days notice will get you on most trains but again when the train is full it's full, so on busy intercity routes you may find it difficult to get a berth at short notice. Also during school holidays, religious holidays and around new year trains book up quickly, the Konkan railway is a notoriously busy line and it's often booked up for days due to the single track that limits the number of trains that can be run.
Lastly just jumping on the train without a resevation for a long journey is not a good idea I had to sit by the toilet for 22 hours after making a hasty decision to do exactly this.
The TTE was very helpful but there were no berths it really was sold out not a bunk to be had!!! this has happened a couple of time to me.
Also the railways in India are I feel getting busier as the population can afford more holidays and business trave!

So taking all this into account what should you do?
Well on a short journey, where you want to try and see all the things you planned, it's probably better to plan up front. Book at least the first half of the journey in advance when you arrive.
If your not bothered too much about delays and the risks I talk about above then just book as you go it's easy if a little time comsuming (something else you might consider when weighing up your options)

Another tiny factor you should consider is a group of three has slighly smaller chance of getting you all on the train in the same carriage. Booking ahead should ensure that you at least get to bed down in the same compartment!

Happy Traveling

-m2-

Hi Mr Mojo, welcome to the forum.

I'm not answering your question directly because I think it is not the one you really should be asking at this point. You have some time yet before decisions are made and I think you should do a bit of research on what would be a reasonable plan for a trip *in the month of August* that recognizes both the weather and what places would be particularly desirable at that time, and recognizes that the logistics of travel in India are probably not the same as anywhere else you have been. The distances involved in your triangular Delhi-Nagarcoil-Kolkata-Delhi are substantial -- just a rough check from my rail schedule:

Delhi-Mumbai 1385
Mumbai-Nagarcoil 1900 (not exact)
Nagarcoil-Kolkata 1550
Kolkata-Delhi 1441

Total 7272km

at an avg speed of 50km/hr this would take 145 hours. If each leg of your travels was 10 hours, then you would be spending 14 1/2 days of your month en route somewhere in a (probably) crowded, steamy, non-aircon sleeper. not realistic. Of course you would not just do this exact 'triangle', I just added it up your notion of travelling down west coast and up the east coast to give you a rough idea of distances.

I've no experience with monsoon travel, but there are a lot of posts on the board from people who have, so please look around. It won't be possible to see all of India this time, but that isn't so bad as you are young and time is on your side . Narrow your focus, would be my advice, as you will undoubtedly enjoy your time in India more and will be even more eager to return to experience places you learn of, and weren't able to get to this trip.


cheers, and happy travels!