Moving to Delhi: Travel in India

You can fly from Delhi to all major cities and most tourist destinations. It's the quickest, and often the most convenient, way to travel -- but you probably knew that.

Alternatively, the train system will take you to almost anywhere in the country. In the north of Indian, trains from Delhi seldom take more than about 24 hours (e.g., the trip to Calcutta can take as little as 20 hours).

If you like planning your own route, pick up the master train time table is Trains at a Glance, which is supposed to come out every October. It has schedules for trains across India. In addition, each of the regional railroad companies has its own Time Table, which include smaller routes and/or local trains that might not make it into Trains at a Glance. Alternatively, you can use a travel agent.

Incidently, you can make reservations in person in the foreigners reservation office in the New Delhi train station, even though you're resident in India, but really extensive reservations may require permission from the office supervisor (e.g., to buy, and make reservations using, a three-week rail pass). Plan to pay foreign currency, and be patient.

For day trains, A/C carriages ("bogies") are the way to go, if possible. Overnight: First Class A/C is expensive, but very comfortable, with doors to the compartments that you can lock. Second Class A/C is slightly less comfortable, but more interesting, with the compartments simply screened off by a curtain, and you are more likely to meet people (well, I have had many interesting conversations - PRB). I've not travelled in a non-A/C sleeper, and am told it is not very pleasant (but is very cheap).

You may have heard, from time to time, about horrific train disasters in India. While they do happen, you should also be aware of the context: India has the world's second larges rail network, with (per news reports) something over 10 million passengers per day, and an accident rate comparable with western Europe. But the trains are stuffed with people, so when there is an accident the result is tragic.

The Airline Page from Rediff on the Net

Contact addresses, schedules, etc for airlines (internal and international) serving major Indian cities.

Indian Airlines

The Indian national airline (domestic).

Air India

India's National Carrier (international)

Indian Railways

Homepage for the Indian Railway system. Includes a searchable timetable database (Trains between an Origin and a Destination; Trains passing through a particular station; Route for a particular train; Trains between an Origin and a Destination with VIA). Very good for planning trips! Also has a page on Tourist Information and Trains

Railway Timetable from India-Travel

Schedules of trains to major cities and tourist destinations.

Copyright © 1998-1999 Peter R Bullen. Created: 15-Feb-98. Updates: 30-April-98, 20-May-98, 5-Aug-98, 29-Nov-98, 26-Jan-99.