Simon Calder: Travelling on Indian railways to get tricker

[northwichcat]

I don't know exactly what impact this will have but I thought it would be worth sharing. Maybe Michael Portillo recorded his new series at the right time?

India is dropping its rail pass, which means the world's greatest railway system is going to get trickier.

https://twitter.com/SimonCalder/status/923860965350834176

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not an awful lot, really. Seat61 shows the passes as being mostly more expensive than point to point fares, and as reservations are basically compulsory (unless you like travelling long distances in rush hour Tube conditions) that is no great issue in itself. It's not a Rover in the UK sense, and removing it wouldn't be the kind of loss removing the ALRs and regional Rovers would be.

 

[stut]

I don't think I've ever once considered using a rail pass for travel in India. It simply doesn't work if you need any level of basic comfort. OK, you could always chance getting on and seeking out the TTE for one of his berth allocations, but that's a risky approach (one that's failed me when a waitlist failed to clear on more than one occasion - on an unreserved point-to-point ticket).

 

[whhistle]

What Portillo series?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What Portillo series?

He's recording a Great Indian Railway Journeys series.

But if you watch the UK one he uses singles and returns, he doesn't use Rovers.