Jaipur to Agra was our first train experience in India. The foreign tourist ticket office in Jaipur is hectic and generally unhelpful so we only arranged our trains for Jaipur-Agra, Agra-Delhi, & Delhi- Dehradun. So we have yet to book any travel after our Vipassana course is done on March 25th. We read that the foreign ticket office in Delhi is good & helpful, so we decided we will book the rest of what we need in Delhi. When we booked the stuff in Jaipur we basically said that we would take whatever class that was available. The idea of classes on trains is a complicated one in India. I think there is a total of 7 classes ! From first class 1A to 2A to 3A to sleeper class to second class. Somewhere in the middle of that coach class AC is thrown in, as well as AC 3 tier sleeper, etc!! Confusion galore! Funny enough, we got 3 different classes for the first 3 different trains we booked in Jaipur.
The train from Jaipur to Agra was coach class AC. This was great, spacious, and comfortable. One of the rich classes for sure, serving you breakfast and tea frequently throughout the 3 hr journey. Easy way to travel.
The Agra-Delhi train was in sleeper class which I think is the class just before the lowest (second class is the lowest--minimal seating absolutely crammed with people-you almost always stand!). Sleeper class doesn't have AC but its really not too hot. Indians are absolutely obsessed with AC. Anything associated with AC = richer or higher class. Every hotel or hostel has rooms non-AC & AC, same goes for trains. Most people say that you have to do AC compartments in trains because it gets too hot. The same is said about hotels. I completely disagree. Not once did we stay in an AC-room hotel and we were perfectly fine with just a fan. The only place it did get too hot was south in Kerala. Nights in the North are cold compared to a night down south in Kerala, so we never felt the need for AC in the north (which saves a lot of money too!). As for trains, sleeper class was also fine. It's a bit more crowded and there is always someone trying to sell you chai or lassi or samosas, and the occasional beggar woman, but it is perfectly fine to travel by. Sleeper class is very similar to regular coach class berths in Polish trains, albeit more run down. You get a seat, you have enough room and there is no need for AC --we didn't feel hot even in the middle of the day so its definitely bearable! In contrast, Indians are so obsessed with AC that when you do get into an AC berth you can often be too cold!!! :P
Our overnight Delhi-Dehradun train is AC 3 tier sleeper, which is a middle class. I expect it to be comfortable and sufficient. From now on I think I would be comfortable with any class but the lowest one, just because I can't imagine standing for an 7-8 hour train ride!! Realistically, for our last haul from Delhi to Chennai (before we leave India), we will probably take at least a decent class. After all, it is a 35 hour train ride!!!!!
