If you want to travel with the "CLASS" then its 12028, if you want to travel with the "MASS" then its 12610, This tip not only relates to availability and booking of tickets, but also Availability of space in the train. Courtesy its 17 halts, there's never a dull moment on board the 12610 (especially if you are one of those who don't sleep).
* Tickets during non-peak seasons are available as late as 2 days prior to date of Journey, but even otherwise it doesn't make much of a difference....
more... This train has about 6-8 reserved 2S coaches regularly, occasionally goes upto 10 during weekends and peak season/holidays etc.
*The Reason the availability doesn't make a difference is, 90% of the pax boarding the train from BNC/KJM board with a UR ticket and they jump into the 2S coaches and the TTE doesn't give a damn about these people especially since they will be so huge in no., so beware if you are getting up to go to the Washroom post KJM, as decent as the crowd can be sometimes, on many occasions, your seat won't be yours when you return.
* The hawkers from the PC will come by every few minutes and one can follow them if they want to find way through a crowded compartment (how they do it is seriously beyond me); this was by personal experience; followed a guy selling badam milk to get to the wash basin and coffee seller was my guide back to my seat. This was mentioned to highlight the availability of real estate to tread on-board during holiday seasons.
* A significant Majority of the passengers will board and alight at intermediate stations, so if you are traveling end to end, find your seat, sit back and relax for the next 6:30hours; your train will be seem empty only in the SBC-KJM and AJJ/TRL-MAS stretch.
* People traveling with last minute plans, try your luck in the Current Reservation counter in pf1; and if tickets are not available, don't bother walking back out of the building towards the UR booking counter. A single UR ticket window has been opened recently towards the right of the Current Reservation counter (diagonally opposite to the Nandini Milk Booth), buy the ticket and proceed to the train.
* People traveling with Elders/PWD/large family, try to reach SBC as early as 06:00; no you won't find any seat in Lalbagh, this train is usually shunted into pf2/3 as early 05:30-05:45 (info from shunting staff), so if you reach early, you can find a seat of your choice and sit comfortably; especially pax with UR ticket.
* An important note to passengers boarding the first three UR coaches of the train, please make sure you get down at PER and find a bus/auto/EMU home if you don't like getting down in a hurry, the maddening crowd at MAS can push you back into the train if you are not quick enough and are traveling with heavy luggage. One half of the first 3 coaches is reserved for RMS. If your luck is cursed and the RMS isn't in the first half of the first coach towards MAS, forget food from PC coming to your place. You will be lucky if a coffee/vada/cutlet seller comes in some intermediate station and sells his wares and disappears at the next halt.
* Lastly I have been a regular passenger of this train ever since it had RSA with the overnight Madras mail, and 12609/10 is also a personal favorite, so if I have posted this tip under the wrong category, apologies. If not, I would like to reiterate what I said earlier, "If you want to travel with the "CLASS" then its 12028, if you want to travel with the "MASS" then its 12610" Enjoy the ride
CHEERS
