Travel with your pet in Train

Have you been planning on adventurous long trips with your furry ones, yet not sure of the medium? Have you been considering train as a viable option yet not sure of the process of how to carry your pets along? We recently were in such a dilemma, but this trip by train from Kollam to Bangalore turned out to be one of my best train journeys. In this article, I’ll be discussing the 4 step process you need to follow to travel with your pet in train.

Steps Involved in Travelling with your Pet in Train

On a very high level, it’s a 4-step process you must follow to travel with your pet in trains.

1. 1. Book a Coupe Train Ticket.
   2. Get your pet’s vaccination Certificates.
   3. Visit a Pet Hospital and get a ‘Fit to Travel’ letter for your pet.
   4. Visit the parcel office and get the ticket for your pet.

Steps in Detail

Step 1 – Book a Couple Train Ticket

In order to travel with a pet in the train, Indian Railways have reserved cabins, called Coupe, specifically built for this purpose. Coupe tickets are only available with Trains that have 1AC compartments. Follow the steps below to book a Coupe Ticket.

Note – Coupe tickets are to be booked just for the people traveling. For pets, you need to get tickets separately, as discussed in point 4.

1. 1. Visit any travel website and select the train with 1AC that suits your need. In this case, I’ll display the process through the IRCTC website.

1. 1. In the next screen, the platform would ask you to provide details of the passengers traveling. This is where you need to mention that you want a Coupe.
      • • Provide Passenger details
      • • Click on the drop-down under ‘Seat Preference’ and select ‘Coupe’.

1. 1. Select Coupe and continue with the normal booking process to complete the booking.

1. 1. Once booked, you’ll get a message to your registered mobile number specifically mentioning that you have booked a Coupe.

Step 2 – Get your pet’s vaccination Certificates.

Make sure you have your pet’s vaccination records handy. This is something that is checked during both the next steps. Also, ensure your pet is vaccinated with all the required ones, especially the Rabies vaccination.

Step 3 – Get a ‘Fit to Travel’ letter for your pet.

1. 1. Visit any of our nearby Pet Hospitals along with your pet and his existing vaccination records.

1. 1. At the hospital, the Veterinary Doctor would first look at the existing vaccination records if he/she is properly vaccinated.

1. 1. If records are proper, he will just make a casual check if the pet is doing fine (some may skip this step altogether).

1. 1. If everything is fine, he will write a letter with your pet’s vaccination details and that he is fit to travel on so and so date.

Note – The fit-to-travel certificate must be taken within 48 hours of the travel.

Step 4 – Get your Pet’s Ticket

1. 1. In order to get your pet’s ticket, arrive at the railway station 2 hours before the journey.
   2. Visit the Parcel office within the station.
   3. Provide details about your reservation in coupe (they will be looking for the Message), your pet’s vaccination records, and his Fit to Travel letter.
   4. If everything is fine, they will provide you another form in which you need to provide details related to your travel, and the details of your pet (name, breed, weight).
   5. Submit the form, make the payment (costs ~450 bucks for your pet’s ticket), and collect his ticket.

That’s it. Those are the steps involved for you to get started on these journeys with your pet.