Travel India Guide: Indian Railways Map
Detailed map of Indian Railways for you on travelindia-guide.com along with a list of famous locations.

Train travel in India
The best way to see India is at ground level on the Indian railway system, and not at 30,000 feet. In fact, no visit to India would be complete without the experience of travelling on Indian trains and negotiating busy Indian railway stations! Train travel is safe, cheap and (in AC classes) comfortable. Even long distances such as Bombay to Delhi or Delhi to Varanasi can be covered more time-effectively than flying, using overnight sleeper trains.
On this page...

Train routes

Train times

Fares

How to buy tickets - when in India

How to buy tickets - from outside India

Tips for train travel in India

What are Indian trains like? The 8 classes of seat & sleeper!

Buying and using an IndRail pass

Where to go & what to see in India

International trains, buses & ferries from India

Europe to India overland (via Turkey, Iran, Pakistan)

Recommended guidebooks

Finding hotels in India

Finding a flight to India
Train routes

With 63,000 km of rail routes and 6,800 stations, the railway network in India is the third biggest in the world after Russia and China, and the biggest in the world in terms of passenger kilometres. Indian Railways are also the world's biggest employer, with over 1.5 million staff.

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The trains in India go almost everywhere, and it's generally safe to assume that you can travel between any two Indian cities or major towns by train.
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For an Indian railways route map see www.indianrail.gov.in and look for maps.
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For a printed map see the Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable.
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There's currently no railway to Kashmir, but a line to Srinagar is under construction, due to open in stages from 2007 onwards. The line heads through tough terrain, and will feature the highest railway bridge in the world.
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Khajuraho has no station, but can be reached by bus.
Top tips for finding train times & fares using www.indianrail.gov.in...

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Look for 'Trains Between Imp. Stations' at the top of their home page. This will give you train times & fares between all the most important places in India.
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Do you need to change trains? www.indianrail.gov.in will only show direct trains. If there isn't a direct train you'll need to guess at a likely interchange station and make separate enquiries for both sections of the journey. For example, for Varanasi to Jaisalmer, try asking for Varanasi to Delhi and then Delhi to Jaisalmer, or Varanasi to Jaipur then Jaipur to Jaisalmer. For journeys to Simla the interchange station is Kalka, for trips to Darjeeling it is New Jalpaiguri.
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If you have difficulty with a journey that involves a change, like Delhi to Simla or Madras to Ooty, try using the alternative unofficial online timetable at www.indiagroove.com (currently unavailable as at Jan 2009). It's new, and only in beta, but it can cope with changes of train.
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City names: Bombay appears as Mumbai, Madras as Chennai, Calcutta as Kolkata. Delhi is still Delhi, at least for now - forgive me if I stick to the familiar English language names..!
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Delhi: The main city centre station in Delhi is New Delhi, so look for 'New Delhi' as well as 'Delhi'. Delhi Junction station is in central old Delhi. H.Nizamudin and Sarai Rohilla stations are secondary Delhi stations, further from the city centre and best reached by taxi.
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Bombay: There are several stations in Bombay, but the most important (and impressive) is the magnificent colonial Victoria Terminus, now renamed 'CST'. So start by looking for trains from 'Mumbai CST'. If you don't see any suitable trains, try Bombay Central ('Mumbai BCT') then finally Dadar which is a little way out of the centre.
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Calcutta: The main station in Calcutta is across the river in Howrah, often just shown as 'Howrah'. Trains from Calcutta to New Jalpaiguri (the railhead for Darjeeling) use Calcutta Sealdah station, often just shown as 'Sealdah'.
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Agra: The main station for fast trains is Agra Cantonment ('AGRA CANTT'), which is an autorickshaw or taxi ride from the Taj Mahal, although Agra Fort is nearer the town centre.
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Goa: Goa isn't a town or city, it's a region. The main stations in Goa are Magdaon and Vasco da Gama, so use these when you check for train times.
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How many nights? If the system shows a train running overnight, make sure it isn't actually two or more nights. The journey from Bombay to Calcutta or from Delhi to Madras is about 36 hours, i.e. typically two nights. On the other hand, travelling on a fast train, Bombay to Delhi or Calcutta to Delhi takes just one night.
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The 8 different classes... There are 8 different classes on Indian Railways, but not all of them are available on every train. There is an illustrated guide to what each class is like further down this page. For overnight journeys, most visitors choose AC2 (2nd class 2-tier air-conditioned, shown as '2A') or if they can afford it, AC1 (1st class air-conditioned, shown as '1A'), although more adventurous backpackers might choose sleeper class ('SL'). AC3 is also fine. For daytime journeys, air-conditioned chair car ('CC') is a good choice where it's available.
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Rajdhani Express trains are excellent extra-fast air-conditioned long-distance trains linking Delhi with regional capitals such as Bombay, Calcutta, etc. These are the best trains to take: The Delhi to Bombay and Delhi to Calcutta Rajdhani Expresses leave in the early evening and arrive in the morning, so actually save time compared to flying. Meals are included in the fare, served at your seat. The Delhi-Bombay Rajdhani uses brand-new German-designed coaches - see this link for photos. Highly recommended, they beat flying, hands-down..!
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Shatabdi Express trains are excellent fast air-conditioned daytime trains running on routes such as Delhi - Agra and Delhi - Jaipur with air-con chair class and executive air-con chair class. Refreshments are included in the fare. Again, these are the best trains to take, highly recommended.

2009



Hudson Valley Explorer

dining car train journeys

Operates Selected Weekends

June thru November

details here



Saratoga 1 NYC

Wine 'n Dine Train

dining car train journeys

Operates Selected Sundays

June thru November

details here



Vermont Dining Train

Operates Selected Sundays

June thru November

details here



New England - Canada

Rail & Sail



Luxury Weekend Railway Journeys

Pennsylvania Weekender

Montreal Weekender

Niagara Weekender

Southern Weekender

Greenbrier Getaway

In Style to Chicago

travels

Travel by Train

here's something romantic about travel by train, and there are some great railway adventures to be had throughout the world.

Commuters reading this might disagree, as they sleep walk to work every morning on overcrowded trains and return in the evening to find their favourite window seat taken by a grubby traveller who hasn't showered for a week.

I've been the suite-and-tied, nine-to-five commuter and I've been the curious traveller. And I prefer being the traveller in need of shampoo and hot water; sorry if I was in your seat.
We'll feature some of the great railway adventures in future articles, but this space is reserved to help you plan your own departures.

Trains are a great way to travel. They'll pick you up and drop you off in the middle of major cities, and they travel through some of the best countryside on the planet. Slide up to the glass and look through your moving lens to the world.

European trains are frequent, you can get a ticket for an immediate departure and they generally run on time; although you shouldn't take arrival times for granted in Italy -- major train stations even have a ritardo column for late train arrivals. If a train is always late, why don't they simply change the timetable?

Train travel in China and India can try your patience as you struggle to get a ticket for the next day, and they can be extremely overcrowded.

Oh well, if you're not travelling on business, what's the rush? Sit back and enjoy the journey.

Car hire is all very well, but on the train you'll meet more of the country's people -- some of the longer train journeys can even turn into a party.

Making Plans:
Once you have your flight ticket, you'll already know where you'll start. How much time do you have, how many countries or states do you want to visit and how much ground do you wish to cover will be questions already half-answered.

More and more major airports have convenient train connections into the city, and there are numerous train passes to help you get the most out of your time and money.

For the budget-minded, overnight trains are a great way to save on accommodation, and you'll wake up in a new city, or even a new country. The romantic can enjoy a lakeside breakfast on the move, with views of snow-covered mountain peaks.

To get the best out of your journey, it always helps to have a rough idea of when the trains will be where. There are some parts of the countryside that really must be seen in daylight, and you wouldn't want to arrive in a strange place at three in the morning.

Our featured sites will help you get the most out of rail travel, from choosing passes and finding out more about countries, to getting information on train times.

Train times and special offers are subject to change, and you should always double check at the station in person.

Just because you have a train ticket or a rail pass, does not always mean that you'll get a seat. If that's important, you'll need to pay a supplement for seat reservations. On some trains these supplements are compulsory, even if the train is half empty.

Locomotives

Indian Railways use a specialised classification code for identifying its locomotives. The code is usually three or four letters, followed by a digit identifying the model (either assigned chronologically or encoding the power rating of the locomotive).[15] This could be followed by other codes for minor variations in the base model.
The three (or four) letters are, from left to right, the gauge of tracks on which the locomotive operates, the type of power source or fuel for the locomotive, and the kind of operation the locomotive can be used for.[15] The gauge is coded as 'W' for broad gauge, 'Y' for metre gauge, 'Z' for the 762 mm narrow gauge and 'N' for the 610 mm narrow gauge. The power source code is 'D' for diesel, 'A' for AC traction, 'C' for DC traction and 'CA' for dual traction (AC/DC). The operation letter is 'G' for freight-only operation, 'P' for passenger trains-only operation, 'M' for mixed operation (both passenger and freight) and 'S' for shunting operation. A number alongside it indicates the power rating of the engine.[15] For example '4' would indicate a power rating of above 4,000 hp (2,980 kW) but below 5,000 hp (3,730 kW). A letter following the number is used to give an exact rating. For instance 'A' would be an additional 100 horsepower (75 kW); 'B' 200 hp (150 kW) and so on. For example, a WDM-3D is a broad-gauge, diesel-powered, mixed mode (suitable for both freight and passenger duties) and has a power rating of 3400 hp (2.5 MW).
The most common diesel engine used is the WDM-2, which entered production in 1962. This 2,600 hp (1.9 MW) locomotive was designed by Alco and manufactured by the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi, and is used as a standard workhorse.[16] It is being replaced by more modern engines, ranging in power up to 4,000 hp (3 MW).
There is a wide variety of electric locomotives used, ranging between 2,800 to 6,350 hp (2.1 to 4.7 MW).[16] They also accommodate the different track voltages in use. Most electrified sections in the country use 25,000 volt AC, but railway lines around Mumbai use the older 1,500 V DC system.[17] Thus, Mumbai and surrounding areas are the only places where one can find AC/DC dual locomotives of the WCAM and WCAG series. All other electric locomotives are pure AC ones from the WAP, WAG and WAM series. Some specialised electric multiple units on the Western Railway also use dual-power systems. There are also some very rare battery-powered locomotives, primarily used for shunting and yard work.
The only steam engines still in service in India operate on two heritage lines (Darjeeling and Ooty), and on the tourist train Palace on Wheels.[18] Plans are afoot to re-convert the Neral-Matheran to steam. The oldest steam engine in the world in regular service, the Fairy Queen, operates between Delhi and Alwar.

History
A plan for a rail system in India was first put forward in 1832, bAs the economy of india, almost all railway production units were 'indigenised' (produced in India). By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. The entire railway reservation system was streamlined with computerisation between 1987 and 1995.In 2003, the Indian Railways celebrated 150 years of its existence. Various zones of the railways celebrated the event by running heritage trains on routes similar to the ones on which the first trains in the zones ran. The Ministry of Railways commemorated the event by launching a special logo celebrating the completion of 150 years of service.[12][13] Also launched was a new mascot for the 150th year celebrations, named "Bholu the guard elephant".[ut no further steps were taken for more than a decade. In 1844, the Governor-General of India Lord Hardinge allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a rail system in India. The East India Company (and later the British Government) encouraged new railway companies backed by private investors under a scheme that would provide land and guarantee an annual return of up to five percent during the initial years of operation. The companies were to build and operate the lines under a 99 year lease, with the government having the option to buy them earlier.[4]Two new railway companies, Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) and East Indian Railway (EIR), were created in 1853-54 to construct and operate two 'experimental' lines near Bombay and Calcutta respectively.[4] The first train in India had become operational on 22 December 1851 for localised hauling of canal construction material in Roorkee.[5] A year and a half later, on 16 April 1853, the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bori Bunder in Bombay and Thane. Covering a distance of 34 kilometres (21 mi), it was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan.[6]In 1854 Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General of India, formulated a plan to construct a network of trunk lines connecting the principal regions of India. Encouraged by the government guarantees, investment flowed in and a series of new rail companies were established, leading to rapid expansion of the rail system in India.[7] Soon various native states built their own rail systems and the network spread to the regions that became the modern-day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The route mileage of this network increased from 1,349 kilometres (838 mi) in 1860 to 25,495 kilometres (15,842 mi) in 1880 - mostly radiating inland from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.[8] Most of the railway construction was done by Indian companies. The railway line from Lahore to Delhi was done B.S.D. Bedi and Sons (Baba Shib Dayal Bedi), this included the building of the Jamuna Bridge. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896 sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railway.[citation needed]At the beginning of the twentieth century India had a multitude of rail services with diverse ownership and management, operating on broad, metre and narrow gauge networks.[9] In 1900 the government took over the GIPR network, while the company continued to manage it. With the arrival of the First World War, the railways were used to transport troops and foodgrains to the port city of Bombay and Karachi en route to UK, Mesopotamia, East Africa etc. By the end of the First World War, the railways had suffered immensely and were in a poor state.[10] In 1923, both GIPR and EIR were nationalized with the state assuming both ownership and management control.[9]The Second World War severely crippled the railways as rolling stock was diverted to the Middle East, and the railway workshops were converted into munitions workshops.[11] After independence in 1947, forty-two separate railway systems, including thirty-two lines owned by the former Indian princely states, were amalgamated as a single unit which was christened as the Indian Railways. The existing rail networks were abandoned in favour of zones in 1951 and a total of six zones came into being in 1952As the economy of India improved, almost all railway production units were 'indigenised' (produced in India). By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. The entire railway reservation system was streamlined with computerisation between 1987 and 1995.In 2003, the Indian Railways celebrated 150 years of its existence. Various zones of the railways celebrated the event by running heritage trains on routes similar to the ones on which the first trains in the zones ran. The Ministry of Railways commemorated the event by launching a special logo celebrating the completion of 150 years of service.[12][13] Also launched was a new mascot for the 150th year celebrations, named "Bholu the guard elephant".[

Rail transport in India

Rail transport in India

Rail transport is a commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in India. Almost all rail operations in India are handled by a state-owned organisation, Indian Railways, under the federal Ministry of Railways. The rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of 63,140 kilometres (39,233 mi).[1] It is said to be the 5th largest railway network in the world,[2] transporting over 6 billion passengers and over 350 million tonnes of freight annually.[1] Its operations cover twenty-eight states and three union territories and also provide limited service to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Both passenger and freight traffic has seen steady growth, and as per the 2009 budget presented by the Railway Minister, the Indian Railways carried almost 7 billion passengers in 2008.
Railways were introduced to India in 1853,[3] and by the time of India's independence in 1947 they had grown to forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit—Indian Railways—to form one of the largest networks in the world. The broad gauge is the majority and original standard gauge in India; more recent networks of metre and narrow gauge are being replaced by broad gauge under Project Unigauge. The steam locomotives have been replaced over the years with diesel and electric locomotives.
Locomotives manufactured at several places in India are assigned codes identifying their gauge, kind of power and type of operation. Colour signal lights are used as signals, but in some remote areas of operation, the older semaphores and disc-based signalling are still in use. Accommodation classes range from general through first class AC. Trains have been classified according to speed and area of operation. All trains are officially identified by a four-digit code, though many are commonly known by unique names. The ticketing system has been computerised to a large extent, and there are reserved as well as unreserved categories of tickets.