General Class on an Indian Train (32 Photos)

Welcome aboard the General Class carriage of an Indian train! Visiting India without taking a train ride—especially in General Class—means missing out on an extraordinary experience. It is a full sensory overload of vivid sights, genuine human connection, sounds, and smells!

During my first trip to India in 2007, I traveled in both AC and non-AC Sleeper classes, but on this journey, I finally made it into the General Class of an overnight train. It was an absolute blast! And the train stations... Where else in the world would you encounter a small provincial station like this in the dead of night if not in India?!







1. Truth be told, it's nothing too alien if you've ever traveled in second class back home... The main difference is how open and friendly your fellow passengers are in India. Some solo travelers end up in General Class by accident after forgetting to book ahead. But in India, tens of thousands rely on trains daily, and booked-out sleeper classes are just standard reality. Depending on the route and timing, carriages can get wildly packed—sometimes with people literally hanging out of the doorways. In that sense, I got lucky: I could actually walk down the aisle relatively easily, even though every seat, upper berth, vestibule, and even the bathrooms (!) were taken.





2. But it all starts with buying tickets. I'll write a separate post about Indian trains later—today is all about the photos.



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4. "Second Class" or "General Class"—carriages are marked both ways. It gets hot inside; there are metal bars instead of glass windows and non-functional ceiling fans overhead. As the train cuts through forested areas, all sorts of tropical butterflies and dragonflies flutter in, only to be swept right back out by the breeze.



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6. Even though my friends and I arrived 40 minutes before departure, we couldn't get into the same carriage and had to ride in adjacent ones. As it turned out later, we were lucky to get seats at all.



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11. Dim artificial lighting, high ISO, terrible white balance... but I consciously decided against turning this series black-and-white. After all, India is all about COLOR!



12. Guys having dinner in the entryway between carriages. I had a hard time politely declining their offer to join them. Almost every passenger here is welcoming, eager to strike up a conversation, show you something, or share their food... Someone even smeared colorful powder on my face to celebrate the upcoming festival of Holi. Unfortunately, only a handful of people in the carriage spoke English.



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16. This guy on the upper luggage rack had a bit too much to drink for Holi and kept looking like he was about to tumble down.



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20. On average, five or six locals squeeze onto a single lower bench meant for three. People even stretch out to sleep on the floor—and that's the story in almost every compartment.



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26. Train stations are a whole different story. Massive crowds sleep right on the floor; at times, you literally have to step over sleeping bodies just to make your way through.



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28. Station master's office.



29. What do you see in these pictures? Unsanitary conditions, dirt, or unpleasant smells?



30. You wouldn't be entirely wrong. But what I saw was a slice of authentic India. I met wonderful people and have already sent these photos to my fellow travelers. Leave your stereotypes and hang-ups behind, and try to experience the country in all its diverse facets.



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