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Rail Travel Facilities:

Rail General:
The Indian international railway system is the largest in Asia and second largest in the world. There are 62,300 km (38,900 miles) of track, over 7030 stations and over 11,200 locomotives, many of them steam engines. Travel is relatively inexpensive. Many express services link all the main cities, and a selection of timetables is given below. The main map of India (see inside back cover) shows the major routes. Other trains, many of them leisurely local services, link most other parts of the country. Buses connect with trains to serve regions not on the rail network.

Special Fares:
There is a special Indrail Pass consisting of a single, convenient ticket which enables a tourist to travel on any train without restriction within the period of validity. It is sold only to foreign nationals & Indians residing abroad holding a valid passport & replaces all other concessional tickets. It can be obtained in India or through some foreign travel agents. Payment is accepted only in foreign exchange.
Children between 5 - 12 years are entitled to a Child Indrail Pass, & pay half the fare rounded off to the nearest US$. Children under 5 years travel free.

Indrail Pass

i) Indrail Passes are sold only to foreign nationals and Indians residing abroad holding valid passports against payment in US $ or pound sterling. A tourist traveling on Indrail Pass is exempted from paying reservation fee, sleeper charges, supplementary charges for traveling by super fast trains or for meals provided in Rajdhani & Shatabdi Express train.

ii) In Europe Indrail Passes are sold through General Sales Agents in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Helsinki

Fares: Indrail Pass prices (in US$), for air-conditioned 1st class (ACI), 1st class and 2nd class are as follows:

Prices subject to change.

Period	AC1	1st Class	2nd Class
1/2 Day*	52	24	10
1 Day*	86	39	17
2 Days*	160	70	30
4 Days*	220	110	50
7 Days	300	150	80
15 Days	370	185	90
21 Days	440	220	100
30 Days	550	275	125
60 Days	800	400	185
90 Days	1060	530	235

* Must be purchased before arrival - not available in India.

Indrail Pass is personal, non-transferable, and travelers must have their passport available for inspection at all times, Holders of an Indrail Pass are exempted from all reservation fees and sleeping car charges. Once the ticket is bought there is no need to go through other formalities or the worry of having to buy a different kind of ticket for each journey.
Validity: A ticket can be used within l year of its issue.
Validity period is from the date of commencement of first journey up to midnight of the date on which validity expires.

Refunds:

The Indrail Pass is neither refundable nor replaceable when lost, stolen or mutilated. A full refund will, however, be given if it is surrendered at the office of issue before commencement of the first rail journey, providing no advance reservations have been made. Advance reservation is essential, particularly on overnight journeys, and arranged through travel agents. Reservations are on a first come first served basis. For individuals or small groups a 1 - 2 month notice is normally sufficient. Reservations can be made up to 360 days in advance.

Where to buy Indrail Pass in India:

Railway Tourist Guides/Central Reservation Offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Rameswaram, Vasco da Gama, Aurangabad, Agra Cantt, Jaipur, Chandighar, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Secunderabad and Gorakhpur or through several authorised travel agents in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The passes can also be purchased at the international airports at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

Railway Enquiries

Bangalore
City: Arr. and Dep. 258465
Cantonment General, Enquiry: 27088

Kolkata
Centralised Railway Enquiry: 203535,
Reservation Enquiry: 280370
Recorded Information: 203545
Howrah Station: 263535, 603542
Sealdah Station: 359213/15

Delhi
General Inquiry: 131, 3313535
Reservation Inquiry: 3348686, 3348787,
Computerised Confirmation/Reservation: 1330

Chennai
Central General Enquiry: 563535
Arr. & Dep. Enquiry: 567575
Egmore-General Enquiry: 566565

Mumbai
Central Railway Passenger Information Update.
Computer Enquiry for reservation status for CR/CW: 2695959
Comp. Enquiry for Train Arr. k Dep.: 2656565,
Gen. Enquiry, Fare, Connections, etc. 134
Comp. Reservation status Enquiry 135.