Want to take pet dog on train? Railway releases step-by-step guidelines to be followed

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Planning a vacation or going on a work trip can be a real tough thing for dog owners as they need to look for options for their four-legged companions, if one can not leave them in a pet hostel or with any family members, friends. 

How to take it? What are the charges? Such questions are often asked while planning a trip with pet dogs. Indian Railways offers hassle-free options to carry your pets for longer distances. Recently, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also replied to a passenger's appreciation tweet for railways for a toruble-free ride with his pet dog. 

Before taking your dog on a train, here are the rules that you should keep in mind:  

1. A pet dog can be carried in dog box in Second Class Luggage and Brake Van (SLR ). 
2. Dog is also permitted to be carried with the passenger in AC First Class and First Class Compartments only provided that the whole coupe (2 berther or 4 berther ) is booked by the passenger or the group of passengers for his/their exclusive use. 
3. Dog carried in dog box is charged at luggage rates applicable to the train at 30 kgs per pet dog.
4. Pet dogs can also be carried in AC first class and First Class at luggage rate for 60 kgs per dog. 
5. Dogs are not allowed to be carried in AC2 tier, AC 3 tier, AC Chair Car, Sleeper Class and Second Class Compartments. 
6. The facility for booking of a dog in AC First Class and First Class and Dog Boxes provided in SLRs can be availed in all Mail/Express and in AC First Class in Rajdhani Trains. Both First Class and AC First Class have separate cabins/coupes so that carriage of pets does not cause inconvenience to co- passengers. 
7. In Shatabadi trains, booking of dogs is not permitted as these trains do not have AC First Class and First Class compartments. Booking of dogs in dog boxes is not permitted in Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains as they do not have dog boxes. 
8. In other trains one dog box is provided and only one dog is booked per train on first-com-first served basis. There is no provision of advance booking of dogs. They are booked at the counter, one hour before departure of the train. 
9. Dogs are locked in the dog boxes in the presence of the owner who is responsible for feeding of the dog enroute. 
10. Special Vehicle (Horse Boxes ) can also be provided in case of number of dogs being more then one and upto 36 in the case of dogs being of large size.