Indian Railways (IndRail) Rail Passes

Indian rails are used as a preferred mode of travel making the train tickets booked in weeks advance. Though foreign tourists can take advantage of special tourist quota, at time the train may be fully booked and there is not vacancy for the tourist quota even. You can ask your UK Indrail pass booking agency to book some or all of the train tickets in advances and the Indrail pass has got many advances. Pre-booking can avoid disappointment and save your time making your travel hassle free. To get your train tickets booked in advance before leaving home country is a very good idea if you are in India for a shorter period. However if you are planning to stay longer in that case also the IndRailpass can be advantageous because you will get to travel at cheaper price than the ordinary tickets.

What are the varieties of IndRailPass are available?

There are three classes of IndRail passes AC1, AC2, and 2nd class. These passes can be bought for a time period varying from ½-day to 90 days. Depending on the pass you have bought that can be used for a ½-day or 1-day pass to book a single one-off train trip. On the other hand using an itinerary booked previously you can travel all over India using a longer period pass. You can also use a combination of passes as per your convenience.

Do Normal tickets cost lesser than the IndRail pass?

Probably the IndRail pass may be higher in cost than point-to-point tickets bought ordinarily. However this is not very high in comparison to the normal tickets bought between two points of journey. From Delhi to Varanasi a to travel in AC2 class the cost of normal ticket is 1,272 rupees ($29) in comparison to one 1-day AC2 IndRail pass cost of $43. A trip which was recently booked from UK for a period of 15 days for travelling across Varanasi, Delhi, Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Simla in advance for a AC2 pass costing £132. If you travel by point to point journey by booking tickets normally then it would cost you around £118. It is certainly alright if you prefer to stay flexible and not do the booking in advance before getting to India, still you can purchase the IndRail pass. The IndRail Pass holders would be eligible to travel to for places from the tourist quota, however having a pass may be of lesser advantage and normal ticket booking is better.

Which is the class of pass to be bought?

Thought Indian railways offers 8 types of classes on Indian trains (please refer to the section on board Indian trains), only three types of IndRail passes: AC1, AC2 and 2nd class are available. (AC is an acronym for air-conditioned). You can travel in AC1 if you have an AC1 IndRail pass and also you can travel in AC executive chair car class or cheaper accommodation without any AC facility being available. If you have an AC2 IndRail pass, you can travel in other compartments such as ordinary AC chair cars, 1st class sleepers along with AC2. If you have a pass for a 2nd class , you care entitled to travel in sleeper class along with unreserved 2nd class. In terms of comfort AC1 is considered to be most comfortable however this type of luxurious travel is available in between important and long distance travel destinations and very few of shorter distance travels. Hence if you are going to use the trains which have such class then only it is beneficial to book an AC1 pass. Usually an AC2 pass is the best option for most of the travelers. If you have an AC2 pass, then can board an AC2 sleeper subjected to availability or if you are going on a day time journey you can get an AC chair car if available. If you want to travel in the ordinary class which is not air conditioned then you can avail that with a request. If you want to experience sleeper class then 2nd class pass is a good option, however if you want a more adventurous or extremely budget conscious journey then 2nd class seats would be what you can look for.

How would you buy IndRail pass being in the UK?

By contacting a UK IndRail agency, SD Enterprises of Wembley you can buy an IndRail pass. To book a ticket you would have to complete any required train reservations. SD Enterprises is an excellent firm with a long established history of providing good service to the customers. To help their client they can go to good extents and they are renowned for that. It would be a good experience for you if you get a chance to visit them personally. An attractive thing could be you getting a chance to see Dr Dandpani's video on India visit.

How would you buy an IndRail Pass if you are in any other country?

If you are in any other country then buying IndRail pass is not difficult. You would have to complete the required train reservations, through the UK's IndRail agency (SD Enterprises). They are UK agency but they would be happy to arrange passes and reservations for people who belong to other countries. For people outside UK they will make available the 4-day and longer passes. The one-day or half-day passes are not available through them. In other countries like Finland, Malaysia, South Africa & Germany, Indrail pass agencies are available but a surprising fact is that currently in the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand they are not available. So if you belong to any of these countries then we suggest you to contact the UK agency.