Diwali & Chhath 2026Waitlisted or no berths? What still works
Illustration of an elderly couple with a suitcase on a station platform, waving at a video call from their daughter abroad, with a Vande Bharat style train behind themIllustration
For NRIs across the USA, from New York to California

NRI Train Ticket ServiceIndian train tickets for your parents, booked from wherever you live in the USA

Your parents need a confirmed 2A from Patna to Delhi, or you land in Delhi on the 3rd of December and need the train home on the 4th, and you are in New Jersey, Dallas or the Bay Area. Send the journey on WhatsApp. Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra, a licensed railway ticket agent in New Delhi since 2014, picks the option most likely to confirm, books it in the passenger's own name and watches it to the chart, while you get on with your day. You pay from the US. No IRCTC account or Indian number is needed.

5★ · 500+ Google reviews · Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count

The problem

Why booking from the US is harder than it should be

Booking opens the evening before

Reservations open at 8:00 AM IST, 60 days ahead. That is 9:30 PM the evening before in New York in winter and 10:30 PM in summer, and 6:30 or 7:30 PM on the West Coast. It lands in family time, not working time.

Tatkal is a night-time window

Tatkal opens at 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM IST the day before the train leaves. On the East Coast that is about midnight, with daylight-saving shifts, and the West Coast sees it at 8:30 to 10:30 PM. Nobody should have to stay up for it.

Long trips, packed holidays

A US visit is three or four weeks, usually the summer, Thanksgiving or the December break. The trains in those weeks fill at the 60-day mark, well before the flights are booked.

US cards and US numbers don't fit

IRCTC's login and payment flow is built around Indian phone numbers and Indian banks. US cards are often declined, and the verification code can fail to reach a US number.

Your three options

How an NRI can book a train ticket in India

Three ways to get it done. Two of them don't involve us.

Book it yourself on IRCTC

What you need: An IRCTC account registered as an international user with your foreign mobile number, or an existing Indian account, and a card IRCTC accepts.

Best when: You travel often, you're comfortable with the IRCTC site, and you can be online at 8:00 AM India time, 60 days ahead, for popular trains.

Watch out for: Registration and payment steps are built around India; international cards are sometimes declined, and a waitlisted ticket is yours to watch until the chart.

Ask a relative in India

What you need: Someone with their own IRCTC account and an Indian payment method, plus your parents' names, ages and ID details.

Best when: A simple, one-off journey with seats available, and a relative who has the time.

Watch out for: It puts the 8:00 AM window, Tatkal and waitlist follow-up on them. If the ticket doesn't confirm, nobody is working it.

Hand it to a licensed agent

This is us

What you need: The journey and passenger details on WhatsApp. No IRCTC account, no Indian number, and you pay from abroad.

Best when: Your parents are travelling, dates are fixed, the train is full or waitlisted, or you simply don't want to manage it across time zones.

Watch out for: Choose a licensed one. Check the YTSK licence, the registered office, that the ticket is in the passenger's name, and that the total is agreed before you pay. We're Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra, licensed by Indian Railways, in Karol Bagh, New Delhi since 2014.

If you already have an active IRCTC account and seats are open, book it yourself. We're for the journeys that aren't that simple.

Only a confirmed berth counts. RAC doesn't.

App guarantees treat RAC as a success: you share a berth overnight and they pay nothing. We don't. If we can't deliver a confirmed (CNF) berth, you get a 100% refund, no questions asked — usually the same day, and always within 48 hours of asking — or the alternative that suits you better.

Check us before you pay

How to tell a genuine train ticket agent from abroad

Six things worth checking about any agent in India. Here is where we stand on each.

Licensed by Indian Railways

A Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK) licence from Indian Railways and authorised IRCTC agent status. Licence details are shared on request with the person booking, not published on the open web.

A registered office since 2014

Palmohan Plaza, A1, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi 110005. It's a registered address, not a service counter: every booking is handled on WhatsApp and call.

The ticket is in the passenger's name

A genuine IRCTC e-ticket in your parents' names, with the PNR you can check on IRCTC or NTES, sent to them and to you.

Traceable payment, never cash

You pay from abroad through the options we confirm on WhatsApp, after the full amount is agreed in writing. Nothing is booked before you approve.

A GST invoice on request

Ask for an invoice and you get one, with our GST details, for every booking.

Google reviews you can read

5★ from 500+ Google reviews, on our Google Business Profile, and a refund rule in writing: confirmed berth or 100% back.

Why it pays

From the US flight to the last stretch home

Landing in Delhi, often at night

Most flights from the US land in Delhi or Mumbai, many of them late at night or in the small hours. We book the onward train a safe gap after the landing, so you aren't racing immigration for a departure.

Delhi onward: Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan

From Delhi the day trains, Shatabdis and Vande Bharats and the evening Rajdhanis carry most families home. We check which station they leave from, since Delhi has five.

Mumbai onward: Gujarat and Maharashtra

For Gujarati and Maharashtrian families, the Mumbai-to-Ahmedabad day trains are the usual way home. They sell out early in the festival and wedding weeks.

Connecting through the Gulf or Europe

Many US travellers connect through Dubai, Doha or Europe and land in Hyderabad, Kochi or Chennai. Tell us the landing city and we plan the last leg from there.

On WhatsApp and phone

How it works, from any country

01

WhatsApp the journey

Who is travelling, from where to where, the date and class, and how flexible the dates really are.

02

We find the option that confirms

Every train, quota, class and boarding point on the route, read together — and an honest answer, including when a date won't work.

03

You approve and pay from abroad

The full amount — railway fare plus our service charge — is confirmed before anything is booked. You pay from your own country through the payment options we share on WhatsApp, or a family member in India can pay if that's easier.

04

Tickets on WhatsApp, PNR you can check

The IRCTC e-ticket goes to you and to the traveller, with a note on which ID to carry. The PNR is on the ticket, so you can verify it yourself on IRCTC or the NTES app within minutes.

05

We work it to the chart

Waitlisted bookings are tracked until the chart is prepared, with updates on WhatsApp.

06

Confirmed, or 100% refund

Only a confirmed berth counts. If we can't deliver one, you're refunded in full — no questions asked.

Booking for your parents

You book from abroad. They just travel.

The ticket is booked in your parents' names and sent on WhatsApp to them and to you. Questions, updates and changes come to you, so they never have to deal with an app or a queue.

  • For senior citizens we request lower berths where they are available
  • First AC and 2A for long overnight journeys, and a First AC coupé request for a couple travelling together
  • The e-ticket on their WhatsApp and yours, with a note on which ID to carry
  • Pay from abroad, or let a family member in India pay — whichever is easier
Who it's for

What NRIs book with us

Your parents' trips

Visiting a son or daughter in another city, a family function, or a hospital appointment, with lower berths for senior citizens where they are available.

Your own trip home

The last leg after you land — a Rajdhani, Vande Bharat or overnight train from Delhi or Mumbai to your home town, booked before you fly.

Weddings and family groups

Relatives travelling together for a wedding, booked across PNRs so the group sits as close together as the train allows.

See that page →

Pilgrimages for your parents

Vaishno Devi, Kashi, Ayodhya, Tirupati and more — the trains booked so your parents travel in comfort.

See that page →

Jain yatras

Sangh and family yatras to the tirths, train only, with elders in the right berths.

See that page →

A private cabin for a couple

A First AC coupé request for parents travelling together overnight.

See that page →

What to send us

  • Journey date, from and to stations, and the class you want
  • How flexible the dates are — even one day helps
  • Each passenger's name, age and gender, as on their ID
  • Anyone over 60 or who needs a lower berth
  • A WhatsApp number for you and one for the traveller

Rather talk it through?

Call us or leave a WhatsApp message at any hour. A real agent replies — no app, no chatbot.

Call +91 99999 90359

What our customers say

“Helpful agents, explained my PNR honestly instead of overpromising. Will use again.”
Vivek R. · Google review
“Senior-citizen lower berth for my parents, exactly as requested. Very courteous staff.”
Sunita D. · Google review
FAQ

Questions NRIs ask us

What time does booking open for me in the USA?+

Advance reservations open at 8:00 AM India time, which is 9:30 PM the evening before in New York in winter (10:30 PM in summer) and 6:30 PM in California in winter (7:30 PM in summer). Tatkal opens about 10:00 and 11:00 AM India time the day before the journey, which is a night-time or after-midnight hour in the US. Send us the journey and we handle both.

Can I book for my parents in India from the US?+

Yes. Send their names, ages and the journey on WhatsApp. The ticket is booked in their names and sent to you and to them, with a note on which ID to carry. For senior citizens we request lower berths where they are available.

My IRCTC verification code never reaches my US number. Can you help?+

You don't need to receive it. We book on your behalf, so you need no IRCTC login at all. A US WhatsApp number is enough.

I land in Delhi at night. Can you book the onward train?+

Yes, before you fly. Send the flight landing time and we leave a gap that covers immigration and baggage, so a late flight doesn't cost you the train.

How do I pay from here?+

We confirm the full amount before anything is booked and share the payment options on WhatsApp. If it's easier, a family member in India can pay instead.

What if the ticket doesn't confirm?+

Only a confirmed (CNF) berth counts. RAC doesn't. If we can't deliver one, you get a 100% refund, usually the same day and always within 48 hours of asking, or the alternative that suits you better.

How do I know the ticket is genuine?+

Every booking is a real IRCTC e-ticket in the passenger's own name. The PNR is on it, so you can check it yourself on the IRCTC website or the NTES app as soon as you receive it.

What ID do my parents carry on the train?+

Any one original photo ID accepted by Indian Railways, such as Aadhaar, a voter ID, a passport or a driving licence. We note on the ticket message which one to carry.

Is Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra a licensed agent?+

Yes. Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra holds a Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK) licence from Indian Railways and is an authorised IRCTC agent, with a registered office in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, and has been booking train tickets since 2014.

Book on WhatsApp