I'm taking an 19 hour Indian train ride (AC 2-Tier sleeper). What can I expect?

Question

I'm planning to go from Mumbai to Jodhpur and the train that is booked is AC 2 (for 19 hours!!!). Can someone describe what my experience might be like? Is there privacy? Most importantly, can one move freely around the train? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

you can move freely, u will probably expect lots of sleeping people

Answer 2

i have never been on that traion, but i have traveled by train many times and had a 2 tier sleeper, they are quite small, but private and be sure to get out and walk around the train, yes you can do that. except for the sleeper cars, you should be able to go almost everywhere, it is fun but maybe a bit boring after 10 hours or so.

Answer 3

Indian Railways have fairly comfortable trains on that route and you can expect some degree of privacy in an AC-2-tier coach. Of course, some other passenger will be sharing the coach, so there wont be absolute privacy. This can be good in some ways since it will accord you a degree of safety and security against bag snatchers and theives that do rounds on such trains.

Carry a light blanket since air conditioning on Indian trains is usually centrally controlled and the coach might get too cold for comfort, especially at night.

The 19 hour ride can get a bit boring at times so make sure you carry a book or magazines to read. Striking conversations with Indians is easy  and can be interesting but can sometimes tend to be one-sided due to cultural differences. Also, Indians have a penchant to come up with some embarassing or prodding questions, though well intentioned, while talking with foreigners.

Having traveled in that country extensively by rail and road, I suggest you try some of the typical Indian food that is served on board. You can also get hot food at railway stations but make sure that the stall you visit is clean and there are no flies/ insects around. It is advisable to order meals through the train's catering system

Ensure that you carry sufficient bottled water since the ones sold at railway stations or by vendors who hop off and on trains can be of suspect quality and origin. You can buy good bottled water at any good shop in Mumbai and Jodhpur. Tea  and soft drinks sold by vendors are also best avoided on trains: The tea will usually be ultra-sweet and soft drinks made by some unknown company. Branded products such as Pepsi can often be cheap fakes sold by these vendors.

The route from Mumbai to Jodhpur will take you through some rather scenic places in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rasjasthan states and you'll be able to get a glimpse of rural India through your coach window. I've managed to get some excellent pictures through train windows in India.

Do not leave your valuables unattended at any time during the journey. Though access to the coach is supposedly restricted, bag snatchers and theives do find a way to get in. Be very careful with documents such as passport, air tickets, cash and credit cards, cameras etc.

A smoker myself, I've never had any serious problems lighting up during a train journey in India. The best place for this is in corridors between coaches or on the coach entrance. You will usually see a lot of other passengers smoking and you can simply join them.

For the night, I would usually take a strong shot of whisky with soda for sleep, though drinking alcohol is banned on Indian trains. You can do so in the privacy of your coach.

Overall, the experience of traveling in Indian trains is pretty enjoyable. And yes, you will be able to move around the train.