understanding the indian railway system
Taking IRCTC (Indian railway) can always get a little confusing, as they use unfamiliar acronyms for seating classes, a percentage system telling you the probability of you getting a seat of your choice, and many different train companies with very different travel times.
Trains classes in India explained:
Non-air conditioned classes: From lower to higher class
Unreserved/general class (2S): No need for advanced booking. This is the lowest of the classes and it can get very chaotic as there are no reserved seats. This section is to allow poor people to travel. - ok for short(er) distances.
Reserved 2S: This is the cheapest of reserved class and is preferred for daytime intercity/short trips. The seating is 3x3, so 6 seats on a row. You will have people selling coffee, biscuits and hot food during the entire trip. Having experienced it I must say it is totally fine for a trip no longer than 4 hours. If you want to charge your phone, you’ll have to go at the end of the wagon and hope for a socket to be free. - ok for short(er) distances.
Sleeper-Class (SL): This class has the three seating pattern - lower, middle and upper berth as well as two seats - side upper and side lower. - ok for short(er) to long(er) distances.
First-class (FC): This class is made of 4 berth cabins and 2 berth coups with door (// AC first class). This class is definitely more comfortable and safe for passengers traveling longer distances. - ok for long(er) distances.
Air conditioned classes: From lower to higher class
N.B. These are more expensive than the non air-conditioned classes but are cleaner and usually offer more comfortable seats.
AC chair class (CC): The seatings are 3 on one side and 2 on the other. Although it is air-conditioned, this class is better for 4-5 hours trip maximum (comparable to the 2S) due to its seated position. - ok for short(er) distances.
3 AC economy (3E): You will have 2 lower berth, 2 middle berth and 2 upper berth as well as a side lower and upper (same as 3AC) but with a little less leg room as there are more seats in a 3E wagon than in a 3AC wagon. They have individual AC, USB port and light.
3 AC: You will have 2 lower berth, 2 middle berth and 2 upper berth as well as a side lower and upper. No door and no curtains (no privacy). Pillows, sheet and blanket are given.
2AC: 2 lower and 2 upper berth + side lower and upper. A curtain to separate each compartment. Pillows, sheet and blanket are given. The price is usually half the one of 1AC.
1AC: 2 or 4 berth per compartment. Each compartment has a lockable door and every bed has an individual wash basin. A blanket, sheet, pillow, towel will be provided as well.
EC: The most luxurious way of traveling usually preferred from business travelers. The seats are 2 and 2 with a foldable table and a private TV. Food can be ordered in advance and delivered to your seat.
For tourists mainly : Vistadome class (EV): You’ll enjoy a 180 degree panoramic view, a glass rooftop, and a 360 degree flexible pushback seat during the trip. There are 44 seats in a Vistadome class. Of course this type of train does not serve all stations; there are specific routes for trains with Vistadome class.
PNR Percentages explained:
On certain booking apps such as Ixigo you will either get seats that are shown in green with the number of remaining available seats OR in green with a high percentage meaning you’ll have a big chance to get that seat ALTHOUGH it is not 100% sure. You’ll also get a percentage in orange meaning that you have a low chance of getting that seat.
Booking a seat which has a percentage between 50 and 80 is at your own risk.
On the above image you can see that seat SL RAC26 (non air-conditioned at 165 Rupee) is free and you can safely book it. 2A WL3 (air-conditioned at 710 Rupee) is also in green, however you see 80% next to it. This means there is 80% chance that you will get that seat and you mostly will end up with it. Now you can see that the seat 3A WL12 (Air-conditioned at 505 Rupee) is shown in orange and says you have 73% chance of getting that ticket. If you really need to take that train i’d say go for it. Otherwise, better check other trains with a different schedule.
N.B. Having an Indian phone number will make it a lot easier to book trains
