Booking trains online for India

Yes, it's possible. The registration process is a bit tedious, but once it's done, you can buy any ticket.

Hi, We’ve had an IRCTC account for several years. We’re visiting India again this year, but we haven’t been able to book tickets on IRCTC. We keep getting rejected at the credit card payment stage. It seems we’re not the only ones this is happening to. We ended up using 12Go Asia instead, even though it’s more expensive and not all trains or classes are available for booking.

Hi there,

For me, it was impossible to create an IRCTC account before my departure because it required an Indian phone number. In the end, I decided to go about it differently. First, I asked the manager of one of the hotels we’d booked with—someone I’d gotten to know a bit on WhatsApp—to book our first train journey for us, the most urgent one, and I reimbursed him through a well-known international money transfer service that charges minimal fees. Then, once I arrived, I did things the "old-school" way and went to a station to book the rest of my tickets for the trip. Turns out it was simpler and more fun than trying (and failing) to create an IRCTC account

Hi there, Thanks for your feedback and experiences. I think we’ll use https://12go.asia/en for the first leg, then play it by ear and buy tickets at the stations for each stop after that. Alod

Be careful—booking your ticket for each leg separately can be risky because Indian trains fill up very quickly, and you might end up without a seat if you book too late. If your itinerary is set, you can buy all your tickets at once at the first station where you make a reservation. Otherwise, you can fall back on private buses (which can be booked the day before) or public buses (no reservation needed) when possible.

yes it’s possible. Registration is a bit tedious, but once it’s done you can buy any ticket

Sorry to contradict you, but from France it’s impossible for the simple reason that they send a mandatory OTP for confirmation, which can only be sent to an Indian phone number...

Hello, We’ve had an IRCTC account for several years. We’re visiting India again this year, and we couldn’t book tickets on IRCTC. We kept getting rejected at the credit card payment stage. It seems we’re not the only ones this is happening to. We ended up using 12Go Asia, even though it’s more expensive and not all trains or classes are available for booking.

Mr. Modi banned the use of international credit cards for all official Indian websites—and even some online agencies like MakeMyTrip or Cleartrip—years ago... I’ve had to help travelers book tickets here in India many times when they asked. That said, don’t you think it’s completely normal for a provider like 12Go to charge a fee?

Be careful, buying your ticket for each leg at a time can be risky because Indian trains fill up very quickly, and you might end up without a seat if you book too late. If your itinerary is fixed, you can purchase all your tickets at once at the first station where you book. Otherwise, you can fall back on private buses, which can be booked the day before, or public buses (no reservation required) when possible.

Even in the past, you always had to book well in advance, but since Indians have started traveling for leisure, it’s become even worse. I’ve been on the WL (waiting list for those who don’t speak English) more than a month in advance... As you said, you need to book your tickets as soon as you’re sure of the dates, trains, and the class you want to travel in. Tickets are refundable for a small commission, which isn’t too bad. There’s even insurance at a minimal cost that allows for a full refund. I book all my tickets quickly using the (Indian) ixigo app. Traveling by train has become quite complicated if you leave it to the last minute. Unless you travel in General class without a reservation, at your own risk, to find a seat.

Hello, We’ve had an IRCTC account for several years. We’re visiting India again this year, but we’ve been unable to book tickets on IRCTC. We’re rejected at the credit card payment stage. It seems we’re not the only ones this is happening to. We ended up using 12Go Asia, even though it’s more expensive and not all trains or classes are available for booking.

Hi, I’m in exactly the same situation. My IRCTC account, which dated back to 2014, seemed to have been wiped—plus, I couldn’t use my phone number when I tried to create a new one because the system recognized it as already in use. So I used another number, paid the $1 or so, and despite that, my credit card payments still don’t work. I also ended up using 12Go Asia, which, on top of being more expensive (sometimes 2X), doesn’t offer all the booking options.

Thanks for all your feedback and tips! We’ll either use 12Go Asia for the most in-demand routes that might sell out or book directly at the stations (like we used to). Safe travels! Alod

Hello, We’ve had an IRCTC account for several years. We’re visiting India again this year, but we haven’t been able to book any tickets on IRCTC. We keep getting rejected at the credit card payment stage. It seems we’re not the only ones this is happening to. We ended up using 12Go Asia, even though it’s more expensive and not all trains or classes are available for booking.

Hi, I’m in exactly the same situation. My IRCTC account from 2014 seemed to have been wiped, and on top of that, I couldn’t use my phone number when I tried to create a new one because the system recognized it as already in use. So I used another number, paid the $1 or so, and despite that, my credit card payments still don’t go through. I also had to fall back on 12Go Asia, which, on top of being more expensive (sometimes twice the price), doesn’t offer all the booking options.