Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're travelling in autumn or winter make sure you take warm clothes - the trains have
rather unreliable heating. If you travel in late November/December you may freeze into a
solid block of ice, but it will be snowing by then and the views will be spectacular. Travel-
ling in September will be warmer and a bit cheaper.
If you want to read about it before you go, try the
Trans-Siberian Handbook
by Bryn Tho-
mas. It's updated frequently and it has details about the towns you'll be passing through,
and includes the timetables.
There are several websites you can look up, but
www.trans-siberian.co.uk
is one of
the best out there. For cheaper options you could also try Travel Nation, which has a
useful page of FAQs on the Trans-Siberian Moscow to Beijing rail trip:
www.travel-na-
India and the rest of the world
Tell anyone you're going to India and you'll invariably be told you must try a train journey.
Indian trains are the most amazing adventure - with all sorts of extras - like a meal included
in the price on the Shatabdi Express intercity commuter trains, or the vendors who wander
the length of the train with their buckets of snacks, tea or coffee, calling their wares “chai,
chai, chai” as they go.
But Indian trains get booked up weeks or months in advance, especially if you're planning
to travel during any major public festival like Diwali, which is a national holiday. You need
a seat or berth reservation for any long-distance journey on an Indian train; you cannot
simply turn up and hop on. Bookings now open 90 days in advance. Reservations are now
completely computerised and a tourist quota gives foreigners and IndRail pass holders pref-
erential treatment. Go to:
www.irctc.co.in
There's also a unique reservation system. After a train becomes fully booked, a set number
of places in each class are sold as 'Reservation Against Cancellation' or RAC. After all
RAC places have been allocated, further prospective passengers are 'wait-listed'. When
passengers cancel, people on the RAC list are promoted to places on the train and wait-lis-
ted passengers are promoted to RAC.
If you want to try your hand at organising your own train travel in India you can get a copy
of the famous Trains at a Glance from any railway station in India for Rs 35 (50p) or you
can download it as a PDF from:
www.seat61.com/India.htm
But beware, it contains every train timetable (94 in all) for the sub-continent and it's very
long.
Trains
get
booked
up
days,
even
weeks
in
advance
so
be
sure
to
book
ahead,
www.cleartrip.com
is an excellent, secure site to do this through.
