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Booking Trains

Discussion in 'Transportation' started by Susan Butler, Dec 15, 2017.

  1. Susan Butler

    Susan Butler New Member

    I will be in India two months. I have selected the cities I will visit and I have reserved hotels. I now need to book my trains. Do I need to have a phone number in India to be able to book my seats? If so, how do I get a phone now? Can I order one to be delivered in the USA?
     


  2. Admin

    Admin Administrator Staff Member

    IRCTC website now allows using international mobile numbers but there is a fee to use a foreign number, Rs100 +GST which I believe would work out to be Rs118 which is $2. IRCTC also accepts foreign credit/debit cards now.

    There is no point getting a sim card delivered by paying extortionate fees for such services. You can buy an Airtel SIM card at New Delhi airport when you get out of customs there's a counter there. Mumbai airport has a similar arrangement by Airtel.

    Airtel has a plan of Rs450 for 28 days and you get 1GB data per day with unlimited incoming and outgoing calls with no roaming charges. Their network is pretty strong across the country so no worries on that front.

    If you find it difficult to deal with IRCTC directly you can book your tickets through cleartrip or Makemytrip which are privately run companies with a responsive customer support department who would reply to your email queries much faster as compared to IRCTC.

    In case you find yourself without any bookings when you arrive in India, most big railway stations like Newdelhi, Mumbai, Kolkata have a dedicated office for foreign tourists and they have a reserved quota of seats for foreigners. I wont say you are guaranteed a seat but you have a lot better chance of getting seats that you want as compared to locals.
     


  3. ChaiNashta

    ChaiNashta Active Member

    Reliance JIO sim card would give you 2GB data allowance per day for 28 days for Rs509. I am not sure if they sell them at the airport. In my own experience their network is at par with Airtels and works in remote areas on 4G VOLTE.

    IRCTC lets you use an international mobile number. Earlier irctc only accepted amex but they take visa and mastercard as well now besides a few others. I personally believe it is best to book through make my trip instead of booking directly.
     
  4. Susan Butler

    Susan Butler New Member

    Thank you Admin and ChaiNashta. This was very helpful. I apologize but I have another question: How do I get cash in India? Do I use my Bank of America ATM card? Should I open a City Bank account here and use that ATM to get cash? What do most Americans do when they will be traveling for 2 months in India?
     
  5. Jessica_91

    Jessica_91 Member

    You dont need a citibank account, your present debit card will work in India if it has a master card or visa sign on it and your bank allows international withdrawals.