Undoubtedly, train travel is the most preferred way of transport in India, for simple reasons like comfort, affordability and convenience. But, unavailability of adequate information about the train’s tickets, status, arrival and departure times can be a nuisance. All this can be overcome by smartly using the technology available these days. 

Not only do these apps make your travel uncomplicated and effortless, but also help you plan your trips, so you do not have to worry about train’s or seat’s unavailability. Here is a list of apps that you can download to reduce your stress while planning a train journey.

1. IRCTC Connect: 

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has now come up with its official train app, known as the IRCTC Connect. This app, when compared to the website has a more straightforward user interface and is a preferred option over using the official website. You can log in into the app with your existing IRCTC logins. In case, you do not have them; you can create a new account. 

The app offers basic features like booking tickets, cancelling reserved tickets, searching for trains between two destinations, and alerts for upcoming journeys. The app is expected to get more features with the upcoming updates. 

2. NTES App (Official Indian Railway App): 

This is the official Indian Railway app developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems or CRIS. The app assists in finding out the train schedules, train running status, live reports and other information about the trains. This app is available for download for Android, iOS, and Windows. 

3. Trainman (IRCTC official partner):

One of the most comprehensive apps that offers almost all the features that one needs for their train journey is the Trainman app. Being the official partner of the IRCTC, the information provided by this app is mostly accurate. The app has a very easy-to-understand user interface and to make your travel completely hassle-free, this app is available in 7 different languages namely Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, and Bengali. 

The amazing features offered by the app have IRCTC authorised train ticket booking, PNR status checking, availability of train (and seats) between stations, live train status, train running status, fares calculator for different travel classes, Platform number, coach position & seat map, ordering hygienic food while travelling and a journey card.  

4. Ixigo Indian Rail & Trains: 

Another great railways app is Ixigo. From booking tickets to checking train running status, all of it can be done here. The app redirects you to IRCTC connect to book the tickets. The app assists you in looking for availability of trains between destinations, route options, seat maps, PNR status, etc.  

5. Rail Yatri – Indian Railways: 

Designed by the inventors of RailRadar - India's 1st GPS train tracking system, Rail Yatri- Indian Railways is a great app to plan your next train journey. Unlike other official apps like IRCTC, this app offers more features for the ease of the commuters. Availability of trains at the closest stations, GPS train tracking, Check PNR status and travel alerts are some of the features that the app offers. The Rail Yatri app is available for download on the Play store.

Smart use of available technology can make your life and travel so much easier. All the apps listed are free to download and offer great assistance to travellers. So, make sure you download one of these apps before you plan your next trip.