My first train experience in India was 15 years ago, and the railway station, at that time, was so chaotic and confusing that I had a panic attack when Chan left me to find the bathroom - and he didn't tell me. I was so scared to turn around and find him gone. So, I yelled at the top of my lungs "CHAN." If that didn't get people's attention, my tears of anxiety sure did. And Indians then do what they do best - Help out. Despite the language barrier, so many people tried to assure me I was going to be OK. Anyway, I remembered the lesson I taught my kids when they were young... "if we get parted, just stay put." So that's what I did, and Chan eventually came back totally unaware of the crisis he had caused.
But now, traveling by train in India is a wonderful experience; the stations are clean and orderly, and even if you don't speak the language, you'll be just fine because the signage is easy to understand.
HOWEVER.... when booking your ticket, make sure that you are choosing the right class. Now is not the time to try to save money, or you could find yourself standing, crammed into a car with way too many people.
- Book your rail tickets as far a head as possible- seats sell out fast.
- Use the porter service available at the stations. Those guys carry your luggage, bring you to the right lounge (yes, there are comfortable places to wait) and they make sure you and your luggage get on the right train.
- Bring snacks and water. These days, food is not available on the trains.
- Bring hand santizer and lots of it.
- Handwipes are a must- you may get lucky and have a western-style toilet in your car, but you won't have paper of any sort. In fact a good idea is get used to using the bidet method which is most common in India.
