Train reservations necessary for Mumbai to Goa in late April?

These days its hard to hop a third class train compartment..

@mattyboll

You haven't specified a date or a class of travel. For the sake of an example in the General Quota:

27 April 1A is at Wait List 35; 2A is at WL 134; 3A is at WL 324

28 April 1A is at Wait List 14; 2A is at WL 79; 3A is at WL 158

29 April 1A is at Wait List 11; 2A is at WL 45; 3A is at WL 110

30 April 1A is at Wait List 17; 2A is at WL 42; 3A is at WL 136

Now, this still leaves the possibility of the Foreign Quota or Tatkal which you could buy in-country, but the answer to your question is "yes".

The corollary is to say that if you do not have an account with the IRCTC already activated, then you have almost certainly left it too late given you leave the US on 22 April. If you are on a schedule in India, and need (or want) to travel in a given class, on a given service; on a given date - you need to book in advance. If you are landing in Mumbai, then on your first day head straight to CSTM (the former Victoria Station) and book all your tickets.

Best of luck on this route. Be sure to check out the Foreign Quota. Consider an air ticket since you want to rail at night. Daytime is supposed to have good views. I approach it from South India so I can not verify that..

Be sure to check out the Foreign Quota.

If you can't get a confirmed seat/berth, a so called Tatkal ticket, which is more expensive and available 24 hours before the travel date is another option...

I would fly at this late date. Spicejet has a flight for 4,596.00 INR. Instead of running around the train station and not getting a train.

Yes railway reservation is necessary if you want to go Goa by train ..... but I suggest you should go by air ... if you want to experience once train travel king then in India there is three type of railway couches general couches for what you don’t need to reservation you can buy ticket directly from railway platform but it’s too crowded I suggest never travel in general couches... non Ac reservation couches in which you need to reservation earlier it’s half cost as Compair to air ticket .... now Ac couch three tyre and two tyre two tyre Ac couches cost same as air ticket three tyre Ac little down .... this is fact now you dice what you want to do

Ok, thanks for all the input! I opted for a quick flight since the WL was so long. I wanted to do the overnight train but experienced many of them years ago so just want to get south

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