How to understand the Indian Railways from abroad?
In many developed countries finding train routes and approximate times is easy. In the US, Japan, and much of Europe one can use a simple query on Google Maps. I have not been able to find such a system for India, a fact which is probably related to my very limited knowledge of Hindi.
The Indian Railways site has a feature which will tell you the trains between 'important' stations. If there is not a train between the two stations it will tell you where you can make connections. However, if your are travelling to a more rural part of India, the sister site which lists all train stations does not seem to have the ability to tell you about possible connections.
Is there an Indian travel utility more equivalent to using Google Maps for public transit directions in Western countries?
Best Answer
For a huge network of trains, it is possibly difficult(not impossible) to store all the data online and for this reason, Ministry of Railways in India has been publishing a book yearly called 'Trains at a Glance'. While this book is easily available at kiosks in India, there is luckily a pdf version available on the website of the Ministry:
To read this you have to figure out a route which is mostly the two most important stations between which you want to explore connections. While it could be tricky, by using a map like this could help you
You can find a valid route name, which will help you arrive at a Table number in Trains at a Glance.
Once you have the number say T-97, you get a beautiful page with all the possible train numbers and their timings, listing down all the stations that fall enroute. Once you have the train number you can use google to check the entire schedule of that train.
This might be tricky, but this book is time and tested. It helps or rather used to help a lot of people in India who do not have access to the internet. And the fact that my dad's team works on it makes me more proud of it!! :)
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Can we access IRCTC from outside India?
While the website does work from multiple locations outside India, with the exception of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States, the site was not accessible from all other major cities in US or Canada. Summary of website availability from across the world.How do I read train tickets?
The Passenger Name Record (PNR) number printed on your ticket is a unique number. Quote this number to check the status of your ticket. 2. Indicates train number, date of journey, distance for which the tickt is issued and number of adults and children on your ticket.Which country we can go by train from India?
India - Pakistan There are two trains from India to Pakistan, Samjhauta Express and Thar Link Express. The Samjhauta Express is the most popular train route to travel from India to Pakistan. It starts from Atari Junction in Amritsar and goes to Lahore Junction in Pakistan.What is the rank of Indian railway in the world?
The Indian Railways is the fourth largest in the world in terms of the network. It is the lifeline of about 25 million people who use it every day.International Tourist Bureau: Indian Railways simplified for Foreign Tourists and NRIs
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