Paws and Rails: A Feline Adventure on an Indian Train

With a lot of pet parents wanting to take their pets along on their holidays, there comes the logistical challenge of actually doing it.

The Indian Railways have a great option that allows you to get your furbuddies along on your adventures. I have done it thrice this year already! And the process, although seemingly daunting at first, is fairly straightforward.

Here I will take you through the process and requirements to travel with your pet on trains and also different issues that may arise.

My cat Biscotti on his first train journey aboard the Mandovi Express.

For now, pets are only allowed in First AC class (1A). This coach has two enclosed compartments. There is a 2 berth compartment (coupe) and a 4 berth compartment (cabin). Typically, most trains have two cabins and only one coupe.

Now, if there are two passengers travelling, you can opt for a coupe or if there are 3 or 4, then you can opt for a cabin. While booking the tickets online, there is an option to select your preference. However, selecting this at the time of booking does not ensure that it will be allocated.

The priority for the coupe is for VIPs and army personnel, followed by two females travelling together, and a male-female couple.

If it is just one passenger travelling, you can still put in a coupe request but there is no guarantee that it will be granted. Only one pet is allowed per PNR.

Here is the detailed procedure-

1. The prerequisite for being able to travel with your pet on the trains is to have a confirmed booking. So your ticket status should be CNF (confirmed) for 1st class AC before you are able to do any of the following steps.
2. Now you need to give in a written application to the Chief Reservation Officer at the originating station of the train. For example, if your train starts from Mumbai CST, you need to drop a written application there, even if your boarding station is Kalyan. This is crucial!

Documents needed at the time of coupe application include:

• Aadhar Card (ID proof with address)
• A printout of the confirmed train ticket
• Your pet’s vaccination records
• Application.

After that, all you do is wait!

3. A day or two prior to the train, get a ‘fit to travel’ certificate from your vet. This is a standard format that most vets have and it should include the owner’s name, pet’s name, age, breed, colour, gender and vaccination details and also that the pet is fit to travel by air/road/rail. I would not recommend taking a certificate too far in advance. In my experience, up to 48 hours prior to departure has always sufficed. I have not found a standard recommendation about this on any official website.

4. On the day of the train (or the night before if it is an early morning train) about 4 hours prior to the departure time, you will get an SMS with the details of the seat and berth allotted. Please note that this will not say you have been allotted a ‘coupe’. One needs to check the train seating plan available online to understand which of the seat numbers is a coupe. For example, on the Mandovi Express 10104 from Madgaon to CST, the coupe is HA1, Seat 5 and 6. HA1 is the First AC class (ref). The SMS from IRCTC in this case reads: HA1, B5, B6.

Waiting for the train to arrive, after parcel booking was done

5. Then on the day of departure, make sure to reach the station around an hour and a half to two hours prior to departure. You then need to go to the parcel booking office (cloakroom) and book your pet as a ‘parcel’. The standard charges per kg apply here. For my cat who weighs around 4 kg, the total came to 465 INR including taxes. They will give you a receipt for the same which you need to keep with you throughout the journey. The TC checks this when they see your pet with you in the cabin/coupe. There is a fine if you do not pay these parcel booking charges before boarding the train.

And you’re all set to travel!

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Originating station of the train:

I had booked a train that was originating from Kerala but I was boarding from Goa so the application had to be sent to the Kerala station Reservation officer. Madgaon Railway Station Reservation Office provided me with the phone number of the concerned official and I was able to contact them, following which they shared their email address and I could send in an email application. To avoid this, try to book a train that originates at your boarding station. While it may not always be possible, this is the best option.

Note: there is a lot of misinformation on various websites stating that the couple application is to be made to the Chief Reservation Officer of the boarding station — this is absolutely incorrect.

Submitted application but coupe not allotted:

During one of the three times I travelled by train with my cat, there was an army official traveling in the same train so the coupe was allotted to him. I was lucky enough that the cabin alloted to me had a couple of Norwegian students and they were extremely pet friendly! Here is my cat cozying up to one of them:

Biscotti getting friendly with the other passengers

So in spite of your best planning, please beware this is also very much a possibility. In that case, you may be allotted cabin seats in which there may be other co-passengers. The co-passengers need to be comfortable with your pet and agree to let them into the cabin for the journey. If they raise an objection, you may not be allowed to travel with the pet. In this case, the pet will be moved to the guard’s van and no refund for the parcel booking charges is issued, as per the guidance outlined by Indian Railways.

Now that I have travelled with my pet cat thrice, I can confidently say it gets easier each time.

Here are my tips:

• Carry food and water bowls and place them on the floor under the seat.
• Carry a disposable cardboard box, line it with a large garbage bag and place the litter in it. Your cat can use this whenever he needs to. At the end of the journey, dispose of it responsibly.

Once Biscotti got very comfortably settled in!

• Most pets do not prefer eating when on the move like this. Mine is happy with just a treat or two throughout the journey. You can check with your vet about pre-medications for nausea/vomiting.
• Avoid going to the station too early. My cat hates being in the carrier and I always like to minimize the time he has to spend in it. About an hour and a half to two prior to the time of departure is enough for the procedure of parcel booking.
• Some train stations have AC lounges, and they are pet-friendly. Once you have paid for the parcel charges, you can wait in the lounge so your pet can be comfortable. Train stations are noisy and chaotic places and that may stress your cat out further.
• Your cat needs to be in a basket or a carrier which is well-ventilated. This is the one I have been using although my cat is now outgrowing it and how!
• As soon as you board the train, close the door of the coupe and let your cat out! Your cat will take time exploring all corners of the compartment and soon get comfortable!

Taking in the scenes!

• It gets ridiculously chilly on these trains! I would recommend carrying a blanket for your pet to snuggle into. The attendants make sure that you do not use the train’s blankets.

Recently there was an update from the Ministry of Railways that pet parents would now be able to book tickets for their pets. I am eagerly awaiting this change and I hope it gets easier to travel with our fur babies!

Drop any questions you have into the comments below!

Disclaimer: The above information has been gathered from various sources available online as well as includes my personal experience. Kindly confirm everything prior to traveling with your pet as the rules may vary.

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