seattle2012

I am trying to make train reservations between Agra and Jaipur for three of us.Time for the train offering first class AC is not ideal so I am trying for a later train. The others trains with better times only offer AC 2 Tier and AC 3 Tier. I'm not sure what that means. Does it mean that three people will be sitting together with AC or does it mean that it is 3rd class instead of 2nd class? I'm going through cleartrip.com. I'm thinking of train from Dehli to Agra and Agra to Jaipur but leaving it open from Jaipur to Dehli because the earliest train leaves at 4:30 and doesn't get toDehli till around 9:30pm. I would rather leave in the morning and get to Dehli in the afternoon. If we hired a driver from Jaipur to Dehli, would we have to pay for them to return to Jaipur?

Jaya

You don't necessarily have to pay for the taxi's return. Hire a taxi that will charge you only for one way. They taxi driver will make it up by getting passengers on the return part of his drive. Be sure to use a licensed taxi service and confirm all money to be paid before you start the trip - including gas. Gas is expensive in India. Don't be surprised if after you pile into the taxi, he stops to fill up at a nearby gas station.

The train terminology in India is always confounding to me. The 2 and 3 refer to class, not number of people sitting together.

seattle2012

Thanks for your prompt reply. I hadn't thought of a taxi, more of a hired driver but why not a taxi? Thanks again.

thursdaysd

For info on Indian train classes see seat61.com.

You want 2AC in preference to 3AC, it will be less crowded. Note that you should buy your train tickets well ahead of time, as the trains are very popular, although if you decide when you get there that taxis are too expensive (I wouldn't count on a one-way fare), you may be able to get a ticket on the taktal quota in the last 48 hours.

Jaya

Another note, the trains are usually longer than the platforms and are not well lit. If you will be at a train station early morning or after dark, you may want to keep one of those super bright, pocket flash lights on you.

seattle2012

Thank you. Your comments are very helpful and the link is perfect.

Rasputin1

You are unlikely to get a taxi to drive you all the way from Jaipur to Delhi for just a one way fare.
The three tier cabins are just that. Three layers of narrow beds. If you get the upper one, you had better be limber.
If you go onto the India Mike site you will see Steve Ber's photographs of the various train compartments.
Happy to provide details of a good driver who will drive you from Jaipur to Delhi if you really want to follow that method of travel. Just pm me.
In the train keep your valuables close to you especially if you are travelling alone and tend to nod off to sleep.

Rasputin1

Forgot to mention that while clear trip makes booking easy, they do not have all the trains listed. You should check out the Indian Railways site first and you will probably see more trains than are listed on Cleartrip. Unfrotunately the Indian Railways site does not allow the use of foreign credit cards. Clear trip generally has more trains closer to the departure date but this might not help.