Trains are integral to daily life in India and the country’s railway system is one of the largest in the world, discovers Kristin Amico, as she shares her tips for hopping aboard.
I watched my favourite Wes Anderson movie, The Darjeeling Limited, on repeat prior to my first trip to India.
The camera pans across lush landscapes as the train carrying three brothers slowly snakes through the eastern Himalayas. Remember that scene where the impeccably dressed steward brings the brothers sweet lime juice on a silver tray, which they sip while sitting on opulent orange upholstery? The movie is absolute eye candy.
My overnight train journeys, both solo and as part of Intrepid’s South India Revealed trip, were equally quirky, rewarding and immersive experiences. And I’d gladly take those trains all over again (now that I’m prepared). If you’ve yet to ride the rails in India, here’s what to expect on your own on-track adventures.
You’ll make new friends
There’s a chance you’ll be sharing a compartment with local travellers. Our group met a variety of passengers along the way, including a professional web developer who was travelling for work and a young couple on holiday. Part of my group took the North India Revealed trip before I met up with them in the south and told me about their shared meals and late-night conversation with a family sharing their quarters. While it sometimes feels exhausting to take long trains, it’s hard to turn down homemade desserts.
These shared moments with local travellers on the train were a genuinely interesting part of our journey across India. After all, fellow train travellers always have the best food tips for each city, so get ready to take mental note.
Read more: Are night trains bringing back the golden age of travel?
Embrace the experience
Indian trains might not be design marvels, with their vinyl seats, metal walls and fluorescent lighting, but I ended up getting a decent night’s sleep everytime as the beds are actually quite sturdy.
You’ll be provided with clean sheets that come in paper packets, blankets and a pillow. Many of the seasoned travellers I met chose to bring their own cocoon-style travel sheet, too
Ashish Verma, Intrepid’s General Manager for North and South Asia, who is based in Delhi says to be ‘ready for delays for a number of reasons, fog is a pretty common one.’ He also advises bringing a chain and padlock. ‘There are bars beneath the seats where you can lock up your bag. Also, don’t use the toilets when the train is stationary.’
Don’t expect privacy
Indian trains don’t have doors for each compartment, nor are there curtains that slide in front of the bunks. The vinyl seats fold down to convert each seating area to a six-bunk compartment with three bunks on each side. Think of it more like an open-air sleeping cube. Passengers will be walking up and down the aisle at the far end of the beds.
You’ll want to sleep in comfy yet modest clothing. A t-shirt and yoga pants are fine, and you’ll see plenty of local men sleeping in jeans and sweatshirts and ladies in comfy shirts or tunics paired with traditional pants called salwars, which can be tight like leggings or loose like pyjamas.
Read more: Here’s everything to pack for India
What food is available?
There is no food cart as such. Ask your guide about what bring before you arrive at the station, or even what will be available to eat at the station. Our amazing local Intrepid leader, Usha, who was not only a travel pro but a provider of great food advice, prepped us before each journey, alerting us to which stations had good street food and which ones were bare bones. It’s easy to pick up bananas, chips, water and a last-minute cup of chai before boarding the train. Some even had vendors making fresh takeaway.
On extra hot days, most people in our group indulged in ice-cream bars (look for the small freezers where they sell cold water) as our sweet treat before boarding.
Bring a sweatshirt
Yes, India is often hot and it seems crazy to pack such a bulky item in your luggage, especially if you’re limited to just a backpack. But like airplanes, train compartments that are often air conditioned – which is how you’ll travel on an Intrepid trip – meaning they can get cold, especially if you are on the top bunk near the fan.
Read more: An expert’s guide for first-timer travellers to India
Sleep early and bring earplugs
Once the group boards, it’s best to get settled and get to sleep earlier rather than later. First, there are no individual bunk lights, just one big overhead light, so you can’t customise it to your liking. Secondly, the chai wallahs start gliding through the aisles early (around 6 am) to hawk their hot tea – and they aren’t quiet about it.
In addition, the train will make stops throughout the night, letting passengers on and off and it might get noisy. The earplugs will help offset the sporadic commotion throughout the night and eye masks are a good bet, too.
Let’s talk toilets
Sleeper trains have toilets at the end of each car. Most have three bathrooms: two squat toilets and a seated (drop) toilet. Attendants come through and clean throughout the journey. Like most train journeys throughout the world, it won’t be the cleanest bathroom ever, but I’ve experienced worse on my travels. Me and a few of the other ladies pulled together a communal bathroom supply bag with toilet paper, hand sanitiser and wet wipes, which is an expert tip I’d recommend.
Put on shoes to visit the bathroom (the floors are often hosed down and wet) and bring toilet paper and hand sanitiser, though there are sinks. Most importantly, don’t avoid drinking water during the journey simply because you want to avoid the bathroom. It’s hot throughout most of the year in India and you’ll risk dehydration. Usha, warned that dehydration, not Delhi belly, is the reason they most often need to seek medical attention for guests.
Ultimate overnight train kit:
- Sweater
- Earplugs
- Sleep mask
- Snacks
- Water
- Wet wipes
- Hand sanitiser
- Toilet paper
- Flip flops or slippers
- Sleeping sheet
- Deck of cards, book or writing journal (anything non-digital) to pass the time
Luggage stays with you
There is room under the bottom bunk to store your luggage. You’ll be able to squeeze a carry-on, large duffle, or 60-70 liter backpack under the seat. Large, traditional suitcases don’t fit so well. Nor will that kind of luggage fit in an auto rickshaw, which you’ll take almost daily in India, so pack light and think portable.
Ashish advises not carrying too much cash on overnight trains or to leave electronic gadgets unattended. ‘Money belts should not be visible to anyone and expensive jewellery should not be worn.
What’s available on the train?
- No dining car, but vendors will come by selling a limited supply of water, packaged snacks, tea and (instant) coffee
- Yes, there are electrical outlets, but there are only two in a compartment of six beds
- No wi-fi, so bring a book, cards or games
- Yes, sheets, blankets and pillows are provided for each passenger
- Hand sinks are in the WC but there are no showers.
Experience train journeys as diverse as India itself on Intrepid’s small-group adventures.
