India by Rail

Whether you travel like a Prince or a pauper, India offers diverse train experiences that can evoke excitement and curiosity, making your journey memorable.

Our first train journey was chaotic yet rewarding, as you can imagine. The mayhem at stations and the culture shock on trains highlight the adventure that awaits. 

Our first journey from Mumbai to Udaipur was as a “waitlisted” passenger, an unconfirmed ticket which may be confirmed on the day of the journey. We were on an overnight train with a “compartment” booking. Turns out, Butch and I had to share a bunk in a communal carriage. For some privacy, we could draw a very grubby curtain!

Our luggage had to be chained to the bunk for safety! Once again, our travelling companion was charming, helpful, and kind. Sanjay Singh, a doctor on his way to his best friend’s wedding, helped us and saw to our comfort. He advised us on what to eat on board and bought all sorts of snacks at various stations along the way, too. To our shock and amazement, we then discovered “no alcohol allowed”, so we had to stow our cool bag with ice, a half Jack of Gin (which was a mission to buy in Mumbai as we couldn’t find a bottle store and had to sneak around a corner to the local bootlegger), BC wine, and the medicinal Indian Tonics.

Fortunately, we were allocated an additional bunk before bedtime, so we popped sleeping tablets and slept like babies, waking refreshed, ready for our next adventure. The “facilities” on the train were adequate, so we could wash our faces and brush our teeth.

Our second train journey was meant to start at 22h30 but was delayed by 4 hours. Our “coupe” was parallel to the passage, very narrow, and, once again, we had only the grubby curtain for privacy. We decided not to take our sleeping tablets as it was so late.   Butch spent a sleepless night on a “cot” which was hopelessly too narrow and too short, I didn’t do too badly and did get a few hours’ sleep, I believe a familiar comforting purr escaped my lips, the next day was long and boring for Butch who was quite irritated, tired and uncomfortable, fortunately I enjoyed watching the scenery and I was engrossed in a book I’d downloaded on my Kindle.

Varanasi station is frenetic and overcrowded; we decided to hire porters to help with our luggage. Imagine all your earthly possessions on someone’s head, and they’re off ahead of you. We needed two auto rickshaws to get us as close to our Guesthouse as possible. The streets are so narrow there that some near the Ganges are closed to all vehicles and can only be accessed on foot.  

We were tired, hot, bothered, irritated, and generally travel weary (gatvol). Butch was not keen on Varanasi to begin with, as it is the holiest of holy cities in India, the oldest city in the world, and where cremations are performed publicly on the riverbank. We’ve heard stories of bodies floating down the river, too, ones that weren’t weighed down properly.

Our third train journey was from Varanasi to Delhi.  But first, we had to endure a death-defying journey by auto rickshaw to the station and our 1st-class compartment to Delhi. What joy! Clean, spacious, beautiful coupe all to ourselves with a door, a table, plugs for our electrics, that’s one thing all the trains have, we could charge our phones to our heart's delight.

Without any delay, I got rid of my jeans, got comfy, whipped out my stainless-steel glasses, and poured ourselves a well-deserved drink. The moment was too much for us, and twice Butch upturned his wine.

While I was making my bed on the top bunk, I daintily put my foot on the table for balance, and the whole thing collapsed. At last I could use the toilet paper that I’d schlepped all the way from home to clean the compartment, it didn’t even need cleaning except for the wine and Butch had to get flat onto his back on the floor, a tight squeeze, his legs on the bunk, to screw 6 tiny screws back into the wall to secure the table, he used some of the loo paper for plugs!  

Eventually, we settled down and stopped giggling! Now we know why they have laws in that country regarding the use of alcohol; can you imagine 1,6 billion people on the bottle?

 I still love rail travel and would do it again, but with a little more style. There are many options, and I would certainly consider something luxurious, such as the Palace on Wheels.

We made all our reservations with [email protected]. 

It is a mission as one has to register on the official Indian Railway System, but all the instructions are on the website. Once we'd done the necessary, it was all plain sailing.