The Best Non-Luxury Train from Cochin to Delhi (and beyond)?

Diana · Dec 8th, 2007, 19:50

Traveling by rail next October from Thrissur Dt. in Kerala up to Dehra Dun in Uttrakhand with a side-overnighter to Agra. I'll be traveling with two U.S. college students and probabaly 1-2 staff members from my preschool in Kerala and have loads of questions as I've only taken Indian trains with Kerala before.

So...any thoughts as to:

Best long distance train or train route for (let's say) 6 adults?
Are there sleeping cars this large?
A/C?
About how much such I plan for expenses while traveling (train fare + food/drink while on the move?) Simple stuff but not just subsistence food.
Do we bring our own food with us or do they have meals on trains (sorry to be so naive.)
How long is such a journey? How many days to get there?
What's the best way to book tickets in advance? I've seen some thread on this and will re-read but he few sites I looked at were a bit baffling to me.
Any tips for taking such a long journey as a group - other than use a good deodorant?

Thanks!

machadinha · Dec 8th, 2007, 20:05

In the "links" link in my signature you'll find some trains sites that will help you plan your journey.

A thread on those lengthy rides: Advice on 37 hour train ride . Linked to in that mother of all train threads, Train information, which you might want to read, at least that first post and its links.

Carriages are much larger than that (except for coupes in the higher classes maybe). You won't necessarily all be seated together, but the Railways will try to do so, and you can normally switch berths with fellow passengers, or at least ask them to. For a description of different carriages and classes, see http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#classes . I think a normal compartment section in the lower classes (technically...) seats six. Note that all classes can be slept in; "Sleeper Class" (2SL) just denotes the next to lowest class, what you might think of as second class. There's no such thing as separate sleeper cars. (Well, there are seats-only cars, but I don't think they'll be deployed for overnight journeys.)

To my best knowledge, some trains will serve food, others won't, teehee

(I reckon this will be standard in he higher classes.) There'll usually be food and drinks sold on train platforms, or through the train windows, or the vendors will hop on board, perhaps to join you till the next station. All this except when you were counting on it, of course, in which case there'll be no one around.

So taking along some cookies and whatnot (plenty of bottled water!; Fruit, at least for the first part) to see you through the journey is not at all a bad idea, and will help break the tediousness of it all as well. It's normally not at all a problem to get fed and get your tea and water etc. in the way described as you go along though.

pontesnm · Dec 9th, 2007, 05:01

There are two trains, the Mangala Lakshadweep Express and the Kerala Express that go directly from Thrissur to Agra. The former goes via the Konkan route to Panvel (near Mumbai) and then to Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior,and Agra (44 hrs 10 mins). The latter goes via Coimbatore, Vijaywada, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior,and Agra (40 hrs 45 minute).

For train selections, I suggest
http://erail.in/#

Diana · Dec 9th, 2007, 11:25

Thanks for the information. I looked at the Kerala Express and it looks like a very good deal but that once can't book more than 3 months in advance. Still, it helps to plan the budget.

machadinha · Dec 9th, 2007, 15:22

Booking usually opens 60 days ahead, with some exceptions (there was an experiment with 90 days, but this has been cancelled). If you know your dates, it is of course wise to book once it opens, certainly for a long stretch like this. Should you want to cancel later, this costs very little, right up to departure I believe, or even after, which will cost you more though. This means you can even book for several dates, then cancel the ones you don't want to take later (this also partly explains all those waiting lists that never seem to move until shortly before departure, as many people and agents do this, only to cancel at the last moment). Cancellation fees will probably be up at the railways site, http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

Diana · Dec 10th, 2007, 14:19

Thanks. Am I reading the chart right on the erail.in site? The Kerala Express from Thrissur to Agra is $53 a person for 2nd Class AC? Is it really that cheap? (crosses fingers)

shashank.aggarwal · Dec 10th, 2007, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diana

Thanks. Am I reading the chart right on the erail.in site? The Kerala Express from Thrissur to Agra is $53 a person for 2nd Class AC? Is it really that cheap? (crosses fingers)

Yes it is, however be prepared for 50 hours in the Train !!

jyotirmoy · Dec 10th, 2007, 15:21

In all long distance trains there is arrangement to serve food. In Rajdhani and Shatabdi Expresses the ticket price includes all food and beverages served on board.
In other trains people from the catering company will do the rounds taking orders for lunch/dinner/breakfast. Both vegetarian & nonvegetarian foods are served. This service is available to all reserved classes. Many Indian families carry food with them.
It is a good idea to carry some fruits and munchies to eat during the long day journy. Do carry bottles of water.

Diana · Dec 11th, 2007, 04:54

Thanks for the confirmation shashank! I'm very happy to hear that (even with the 50 hours) as I'm paying for the tickets for about 5-6 people. Much better than I feared.

jyotirmoy, it's good to hear there is food as the longest stop of the Kerala Express looks to be 12 mintues and I am not sure I can carry enough fruit and water to last me 50 hours!

federica · Dec 11th, 2007, 05:14

Don't worry for food and water... the food you can order on the train is fine and not expensive. You can also buy water... it's just better to carry one bottle, as sometimes you want to drink and exactly in that moment it can happen that nobody is around to sell you a bottle...

You will also get enough tea and coffee... It's more likely to die from hunger in a European train than in an Indian one...

wonderwomanusa · Dec 11th, 2007, 11:21

Besides food (fruit, cookies, unpeeled hard-boiled eggs) and water, be sure to bring lots of books and games (cards, for sure) to amuse you and your friends ... it's a very long ride!

If you travel AC class, a pillow, sheets, warm blankets, a towel and a facecloth are provided, so you don't need to pack those things where you can get to them.

Diana · Dec 11th, 2007, 14:44

More good info for this train newbie. Much appreciated.

wonderwoman, thanks for the bedding tip. One never knows, unless told. The one overnight train I have been one (the "bunkbed" like fold down beds that convert from bench style seating) provided a warm rough blanket and pillow but no sheet of any type and it was itchy!

federica - it's good to know we won't go hungry. It ironic that I tend to be much better fed in the country with many starving people than in the U.S. Here I eat too much junk and miss meals. In India, missing meals was not an option. Life revolved around the meals. Even as an employer I've had staff members who are always so polite, interrupt me to say "time to dine." Ok..so we dine. I love it!

pontesnm · Dec 12th, 2007, 01:58

Diana: You may want to "break journey". The Indian railways allows you to buy a through ticket and break journey at an intermediate station for a couple of days at no extra cost. I have not done it but reading the rules it would seem that you would need to pay two reservation charges (Rs 30 each I believe) for each leg and I think that both reservations can be made at the same time (not sure - never done this; it may be that the onward reservation can only be made after break journey - check locally - these tickets cannot be booked online).

This saves money because of telescoping fares. Thus for example one-way fares in 2nd AC

Thrissur Bhusawal $47 (Bhusawal is for Ajanta, Ellora)
Bhusawal - Agra $31.
Thrissur - Agra $53.

The best would be to book directly from Thrissur to Dehradun and take 1-2 break journeys (max 2 allowed).

Brisso · Dec 12th, 2007, 04:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by pontesnm

Diana: You may want to "break journey". The Indian railways allows you to buy a through ticket and break journey at an intermediate station for a couple of days at no extra cost.

Thought the rules had changed and this is no longer an option ...

Diana · Dec 12th, 2007, 05:36

It would be great if we could break journey. Does anyone know for sure?

Dec 8th, 2007, 19:50	#1
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	The Best Non-Luxury Train from Cochin to Delhi (and beyond)? Traveling by rail next October from Thrissur Dt. in Kerala up to Dehra Dun in Uttrakhand with a side-overnighter to Agra. I'll be traveling with two U.S. college students and probabaly 1-2 staff members from my preschool in Kerala and have loads of questions as I've only taken Indian trains with Kerala before. So...any thoughts as to: Best long distance train or train route for (let's say) 6 adults? Are there sleeping cars this large? A/C? About how much such I plan for expenses while traveling (train fare + food/drink while on the move?) Simple stuff but not just subsistence food. Do we bring our own food with us or do they have meals on trains (sorry to be so naive.) How long is such a journey? How many days to get there? What's the best way to book tickets in advance? I've seen some thread on this and will re-read but he few sites I looked at were a bit baffling to me. Any tips for taking such a long journey as a group - other than use a good deodorant? Thanks! __________________ “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” - Rabindranath Tagore

Dec 8th, 2007, 20:05	#2
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 11,151	In the "links" link in my signature you'll find some trains sites that will help you plan your journey. A thread on those lengthy rides: Advice on 37 hour train ride . Linked to in that mother of all train threads, Train information, which you might want to read, at least that first post and its links. Carriages are much larger than that (except for coupes in the higher classes maybe). You won't necessarily all be seated together, but the Railways will try to do so, and you can normally switch berths with fellow passengers, or at least ask them to. For a description of different carriages and classes, see http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#classes . I think a normal compartment section in the lower classes (technically...) seats six. Note that all classes can be slept in; "Sleeper Class" (2SL) just denotes the next to lowest class, what you might think of as second class. There's no such thing as separate sleeper cars. (Well, there are seats-only cars, but I don't think they'll be deployed for overnight journeys.) To my best knowledge, some trains will serve food, others won't, teehee (I reckon this will be standard in he higher classes.) There'll usually be food and drinks sold on train platforms, or through the train windows, or the vendors will hop on board, perhaps to join you till the next station. All this except when you were counting on it, of course, in which case there'll be no one around. So taking along some cookies and whatnot (plenty of bottled water!; Fruit, at least for the first part) to see you through the journey is not at all a bad idea, and will help break the tediousness of it all as well. It's normally not at all a problem to get fed and get your tea and water etc. in the way described as you go along though. __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links Last edited by machadinha : Dec 9th, 2007 at 15:25.

Dec 9th, 2007, 05:01	#3
pontesnm Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bardez/Mumbai/New Jersey (USA) Posts: 259	Trains to Agra There are two trains, the Mangala Lakshadweep Express and the Kerala Express that go directly from Thrissur to Agra. The former goes via the Konkan route to Panvel (near Mumbai) and then to Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior,and Agra (44 hrs 10 mins). The latter goes via Coimbatore, Vijaywada, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior,and Agra (40 hrs 45 minute). For train selections, I suggest http://erail.in/#

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Dec 9th, 2007, 11:25	#4
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	Thanks for the information. I looked at the Kerala Express and it looks like a very good deal but that once can't book more than 3 months in advance. Still, it helps to plan the budget.

Dec 9th, 2007, 15:22	#5
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 11,151	Booking usually opens 60 days ahead, with some exceptions (there was an experiment with 90 days, but this has been cancelled). If you know your dates, it is of course wise to book once it opens, certainly for a long stretch like this. Should you want to cancel later, this costs very little, right up to departure I believe, or even after, which will cost you more though. This means you can even book for several dates, then cancel the ones you don't want to take later (this also partly explains all those waiting lists that never seem to move until shortly before departure, as many people and agents do this, only to cancel at the last moment). Cancellation fees will probably be up at the railways site, http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

Dec 10th, 2007, 14:19	#6
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	Thanks. Am I reading the chart right on the erail.in site? The Kerala Express from Thrissur to Agra is $53 a person for 2nd Class AC? Is it really that cheap? (crosses fingers)

Dec 10th, 2007, 15:21	#8
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 4,666	In all long distance trains there is arrangement to serve food. In Rajdhani and Shatabdi Expresses the ticket price includes all food and beverages served on board. In other trains people from the catering company will do the rounds taking orders for lunch/dinner/breakfast. Both vegetarian & nonvegetarian foods are served. This service is available to all reserved classes. Many Indian families carry food with them. It is a good idea to carry some fruits and munchies to eat during the long day journy. Do carry bottles of water.

Dec 11th, 2007, 04:54	#9
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	Thanks for the confirmation shashank! I'm very happy to hear that (even with the 50 hours) as I'm paying for the tickets for about 5-6 people. Much better than I feared. jyotirmoy, it's good to hear there is food as the longest stop of the Kerala Express looks to be 12 mintues and I am not sure I can carry enough fruit and water to last me 50 hours!

Dec 11th, 2007, 05:14	#10
federica Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Bavaria Posts: 1,093	Don't worry for food and water... the food you can order on the train is fine and not expensive. You can also buy water... it's just better to carry one bottle, as sometimes you want to drink and exactly in that moment it can happen that nobody is around to sell you a bottle... You will also get enough tea and coffee... It's more likely to die from hunger in a European train than in an Indian one...

Dec 11th, 2007, 11:21	#11
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dhaka Posts: 3,568	Besides food (fruit, cookies, unpeeled hard-boiled eggs) and water, be sure to bring lots of books and games (cards, for sure) to amuse you and your friends ... it's a very long ride! If you travel AC class, a pillow, sheets, warm blankets, a towel and a facecloth are provided, so you don't need to pack those things where you can get to them.

Dec 11th, 2007, 14:44	#12
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	More good info for this train newbie. Much appreciated. wonderwoman, thanks for the bedding tip. One never knows, unless told. The one overnight train I have been one (the "bunkbed" like fold down beds that convert from bench style seating) provided a warm rough blanket and pillow but no sheet of any type and it was itchy! federica - it's good to know we won't go hungry. It ironic that I tend to be much better fed in the country with many starving people than in the U.S. Here I eat too much junk and miss meals. In India, missing meals was not an option. Life revolved around the meals. Even as an employer I've had staff members who are always so polite, interrupt me to say "time to dine." Ok..so we dine. I love it!

Dec 12th, 2007, 01:58	#13
pontesnm Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bardez/Mumbai/New Jersey (USA) Posts: 259	Diana: You may want to "break journey". The Indian railways allows you to buy a through ticket and break journey at an intermediate station for a couple of days at no extra cost. I have not done it but reading the rules it would seem that you would need to pay two reservation charges (Rs 30 each I believe) for each leg and I think that both reservations can be made at the same time (not sure - never done this; it may be that the onward reservation can only be made after break journey - check locally - these tickets cannot be booked online). This saves money because of telescoping fares. Thus for example one-way fares in 2nd AC Thrissur Bhusawal $47 (Bhusawal is for Ajanta, Ellora) Bhusawal - Agra $31. Thrissur - Agra $53. The best would be to book directly from Thrissur to Dehradun and take 1-2 break journeys (max 2 allowed).

Dec 12th, 2007, 05:36	#15
Diana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington State & Kerala Posts: 259	It would be great if we could break journey. Does anyone know for sure?

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