Train travel costs Mumbai-Madgaon, Goa 2 Adults 1 Child

Hi guys it's been a while, but am finally planning on heading back this time with our 5 year old daughter.

I have researched a price quote on http://www.indianrail.gov.in for a one way ticket for one person at 2080 R (Class 1st AC)

I can't seem figure out if they also offer child fare. Can anyone give me an idea of round trip costs for two adults and one child (5 years).

Thanks in advance :-)

See this and hover over the 'AV' below 1A, 2A etc.

For the child, you could check here: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/fare_Enq.html.

I'm not into the details of children's fares there, but since they don't seem to list those under 5, I think they travel for free, but need to share your seat/berth if necessary. Age 5-11, they should then travel at a discount, I think with their own seat/berth.

This is a lengthier discussion on something else, but these details do get brought up there: Can child of 8 years travel in Sleeper with general ticket?.

EDIT: Ah, never mind, I see now Erail where Aarosh linked you to also gives the children's fares. I think that's new (and if so, well done), or anyway I hadn't been aware of it. Thanks, Aarosh

Thank you, your link was very helpful

I do have one more question though, and this probably dosn't belong into the train section... I searched indiamike regarding flights from Mumbai to Goa and saw statements that flights can be as little as 20 pounds one way. This might be a viable option considering that I'm not sure if my daughter can handle such a long train journey.

Has anyone had recent experience in flights and costs from Mumbai to Goa and back?

Hello Watson, good to see you here, you've been away for a while and you have a 5 year old Daughter, no need to ask what you've been doing.

Ixigo is a good place to search for flights, but Mumbai-Goa flight costs vary a lot depending on date of travel, so have a search for your dates, flights tend to be very early morning, and lunchtime.

What are your concerns regarding your daughter on a long journey? (I'm sure you remember how much fun the trains can be, though 1AC isn't quite the same, awesome space and privacy isn't always a great substitute for atmosphere and realism.

If your daughter would prefer to only be with her parents I've got an idea that could work, book 2 adults and 1 child in 1AC, then in the day before your train (or on the day if taking the overnight train, but at least before 5pm) go to the departing station (likely CST) and go to see the reservation supervisor, tell him you want a 2 berth coupe for the 3 of you, this will allow the railways to get an extra person into 1AC, and a 2 berth coupe is more than big enough for all 3 of you, though your daughter would need to sleep with one of you, you can then lock the door and remain undisturbed all the way to Goa, I'm a very cheeky person, I'd probably also tell them that my daughter has a very nasty cough that keeps her up all night and that I don't want to be a nuisance to other passengers, this little white lie could help to get a coupe.

Hey Steven,

what a pleasure to see you are still so active. Old faces do make you feel at home here.

You know I was speaking to my wife and I think I might have mixed up 1AC with 2AC. Back in the day we travelled with 2AC which had 3 bunks on each side of the compartment (I think that was 2AC). This was perfect and shouldn't be a problem this time either.

I absolutely love train travelling - I am however a little worried if the kid can handle it. I guess we can play 300 to 500 games of uno...

:-)

Thnak you for the tips.

3 bunks would be 3AC, 2 bunks either side will be 2AC (feels lots more spacious than 3AC)

1AC is slightly bigger than 2AC and has lockable doors and co-passengers that don't speak to you, though I did hear a rumor that one spoke to a tourist on a train in southern India in 2009, but it was just a rumor.

I can confirm that a co-passenger spoke to us in 1AC on the Sealdah-NDLS Rajdhani in March 2011. Mind you it was 16 hours into the journey.

I never had the 1AC experience myself. Sounds pretty boring :-)

If we do decide on the train then we will most likely book 2AC

We just booked our flights today to arrive in Mumbai on the 2nd of November early in the morning. We would probably want to leave by train to Margao station in Goa on the next day (3rd of November).

Once we arrive in Goa we would like to travel via train onward to Canacona station (Agonda).

I'm still pretty bad at figuring out schedules not to mention advance booking. Could someone help me with schdeules and pricing for two adults and one child (5 years). Class 2 AC.

Thanks in advance for your help.

We are only staying two weeks so we will probably take a flight back from Goa to Mumbai for the return flight to Berlin.

I think I figured it all out by myself now - One big question that I have though is that onward travel by train to Canacona Station is only available as an unreserved service. Is the train extremely overcrowded? Should we just take a car??? The Problem is my daughter gets car sick, but if we have to squeeze into an insanely overcrowded train. I don't know...

Here is what I found out so far:


Train 01013
From Mumbai CST to MAO
4th of November
Dep. 00:20
to MAO
Arr. 14:10
Travel: 13.5 hrs
Cost: R.3030 for 2 Adults and 1 Child
Class: 2AC
And then onward with
70101 MAO KAWR DMU
Dep. 19:10
Arr. 19.48
Travel: 00:38hrs

Cost: R.21 for 2 Adults and 1 Child
Class: UNRESERVED!

-Or-

12051 JAN SHATABDI EX
From Mumbai CST to MAO
3rd of November
Dep. 05.10
Arr. 16.00
Travel: 10.5 hrs

Cost. R.1720 for 2 Adults and 1 Child
Class: CC

70101 MAO KAWR DMU
Dep. 19:10
Arr. 19.48
Travel: 00:38hrs

Cost: R.21 for 2 Adults and 1 Child
Class: UNRESERVED!

Hello Watson

The first train is a 'special' and stops running before November.

The Monsoon timetable is in operation at the moment, on 1st November times of all trains change.

The Jan Shatabdi goes back to it's normal timings, Mumbai CST 05:10, Madgaon 14:10

There's an unreserved train departs Madgaon at about 14:30 taking about 40 minutes to get to Cancona, however, this train doesn't wait for the Jan Shatabdi, I watched the bloody thing pulling out of the station as I was arriving on the Jan Shatabdi.

I've taken the unreserved train about 4 other times, you'll likely get seats at Madgaon station, the train is busy, but not too busy, I think it has a 2S carriage (bookable 2nd class seat), so try booking it if you choose this option.

The Jan Shatabdi may seem like a good option, but consider this.....picture yourself (and your family) on the flight to Mumbai, only about 9 hours from Germany, after how long do you wish you could stretch out and have a little snooze, after how long would you be prepared to pay to stretch out, and if you could get a 12 hour direct flight to India in business class for the same price as a 9 hour cabin class flight, what would you choose?

That's the difference between the 9 hour Jan Shatabdi train in Chair Class, or the 12 hour normal train in 2-tier air con (as long as you get inside berths), the space in 2A is amazing, and although Chair Class in the Jan Shatabdi is a bit more spacious than cabin class on a flight, it's still fixed seats and you can't stretch out.

I may be being a little harsh on Chair Class, I've enjoyed every journey I've had in CC, but the longest was 4 hours and I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't want a much longer journey, and maybe more so if the journey started at 5 in the morning the day after a long flight with the body still adjusting to Indian time.

Other options.

Is arriving at Cancona station at 23:30 a problem?

Train 16345 departs Lokmanya Tilak (not too far from the airport) station at 11:40 and gets to Cancona at 23:26 (2A costs Rs1220 per adult)

IF you plan to stay around near the airport for 1 day (no availability on 2nd, only 3 available on 3rd), and if your Agonda hotel can arrange for a taxi/auto to pick you up from Cancona station, then this train would be perfect.

The other day train (10103) departs Mumbai CST at 06:55 and gets to Madgaon at 18:45

Hi Steven,

thanks for the help. I was thinking the same thing about CC Class. We would all more likely enjoy a slumber party vibe compared to stiff seating.

I was unsure about "suburban" train stations in Mumbai and would much rather take a night train from CST. Are there no options for this?

Hanging around the aiport for day and a half - Is there even anything interesting near there? If I remember correctly, the ride from Mumbai central to the aiport is quit a way - but that also might be a possibility - then again theres that car sickness issue with my daughter.

"The other day train (10103) departs Mumbai CST at 06:55 and gets to Madgaon at 18:45"

This looks like a good option though.

The night trains are waitlisted already.

Getting to Lokmanya Tilak station is reasonably easy, there are direct suburban trains from CST to Tilak Nagar station (just a few minutes walk from Lokmanya Tilak), but getting the suburban tickets is more of a challenge, sit your Wife and Daughter down with a chai and the luggage, then join the queue, it can take a good 15-20 minutes to get the ticket, then the train takes about 30-40 minutes (can't remember, it's been a while), and it takes the harbour route, as I say, it's been a while, but the slums we passed on that train were the worst I've seen anywhere in India.

No idea what's near the airport, it's mostly residential areas, but that's what attracts me more these days, no hassle to tourists, if there's nothing you want to see in Mumbai (the tourist attractions), staying between the Airport and Lokmanya Tilak will probably be a great option.

I found one '24-hour' hotel near the airport, I think it was about 70 Euros a night for a double (everything's expensive in Mumbai), if you checked in to a 24-hour hotel at 08:00, you wouldn't need to check out till 08:00 the next day.