Ladies carriages

ShonaJessKam

We recently traveled from Laxar junction to Mughal Sarai (Varanasi) in what we believed to be the “Ladies Carriages”.
However, this carriage was overrun with men and in addition a lot of loud children and babies.
The ladies carriages are a myth and actually less comfortable than the regular sleeper class carriage.
In short women don’t bother!

(Regardless – thanks Steve for all your help!)

steven_ber

Hello to all 3 of you, and thanks for taking the time to join and post.

I got to wondering (after I left you all) why I'd never seen the ladies section in a Sleeper Class carriage, despite many journeys in that class, so I started to look for it.

I've been told on 3 seperate occations (by tourists) that there is a section of 6 berths that have a doorway to keep out men, but as I think I said to you, the section can seem crowded when children are added.

If I remember right, there is a long thread somewhere on indiamike.com about a member travelling in this section.

However, I spent some time on Varanasi checking out the Sleeper Class carriages looking for this 'ladies section', the staff kept showing me a section of 6 wooden seats in an unreserved carriage at the end of the train, and not in a Sleeper Class carriage, so I'm still confused, surely they can't put Sleeper Class paying customers in an unreserved car, can they? (I really have no idea)

Why do you mention Mughal Sarai?

Your train was booked to Varanasi (before Muhal Sarai), and if the railway officialls are correct, your train was due to arrive in Varanasi only 30 minutes late.

(My train to Lucknow was 5 hours late. my next train to Varanasi was 4 hours late, and my train fom Varanasi going south was 6 hours late, no fun at all)

Anyway, I hope the rest of your trip goes well and that you all have fun in Kerala and Goa.

Best wishes.

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Train information.

federica

Isn't the ladies compartment always a carriage in the unreserved part?

It's one carriage with wooden seats and something to store you luggage above. If you are lucky and this is still free, you can even sleep there...

It's not the most comfortable way of travelling, but one of the most interesting and the cheapest

Nick-H

Can't help giggling at the idea of Steven enquiring after the Ladies' Carriage: you must have got some funny looks!

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jyotirmoy

I don't know whether these are discontinued now but I had definitely seen in past a 6 berth enclosure with a door, the first cubicle as you entered the compartment of 3 tier non-ac sleeper coaches.

ebby

The old 3 tier compartments had a ladies section consisting of 6 berths in which ladies and boys below 12 years were allowed to travel . The new design sleeper coaches has no such section.

JuliaF

I've used the ladies compartment in sleeper class (but about 10 years ago now). It was the same standard as the rest of the sleeper class carriage, but usually not with a door to separate it off. Berths 1-6 (near the toilets - smelly!). I think LD appeared on the ticket and chart next to the seat number.

I'm going to India tomorrow after 6 years, hooray!

Mickey S

We men have to put up with carriages (and buses, and planes...) overrun with women, loud children and babies, so why should women expect special treatment?

steven_ber

I feel kind of bad about this, I persuaded 3 young girls to cancel their tickets (24 hours in Sleeper Class) and re-book in a train that would take 16 hours, and the train still had all 6 'Ladies Quota' berths remaining, so I guesed they would be alone in that section, but I was convinced the ladies quota berths were the kind mentioned above (6 Sleeper Class berths with a door).

I don't mind learning the hard way myself, but hate the thought of someone learning the hard way because of advice I'd given them.

By the way girls, that birthday celebration idea may have cost you very dear, there was a festival on the Ghats in Varanasi on the night before you arrived, it was absolutely amazing, I've never seen anything like it, India at it's very best.

vsp27759

Dear Steven,

but I was convinced the ladies quota berths were the kind mentioned above (6 Sleeper Class berths with a door).

## There will NOT be any door for the six-berthed area in Sleeper Class,which is earmarked for ladies in a Sleeper Class.

##If you would like to have a "door" for the place where you sleep in the Train, then you may have to select only IAC.

ebby

The earlier 3tier sleeper with the ladies cubicle had a sliding door. I have travelled in it as a child many times. However, the model has been out of production for decades and the current sleepers have no seperate ladies cubile. Maybe , the authorities have earmarked the first open partition of 6 berths for ladies.