I would like to Vaishno Devi within the next year, and thought it would be a good idea to start planning the trip now. I live in Pune which is quite a distance from Vaishno Devi, so I need all the help I can get to find out how to go to Vaishno Devi. I know that there is a train station at Katra now, but I am not sure if there is a direct train available from Pune to Katra. On the other side if I do take a train then I suppose it would easily take me two days to reach the destination, and I do not have a lot of time on hand for the trip.
Hello, @Meghya! Welcome to the forum! Here are some ways that you can reach Katra from Pune: 1. By Train - There are no direct trains connecting Pune Junction to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station. So an alternative route that you can take for trains would be: Pune > Train to Jammu > Train to Katra. From Pune to Jammu, there is only one train plying this route. Here are some details about it: Jhelum Express Train No. 11077 - This train departs everyday from Mondays to Sundays from the Pune Junction. Its departure time is 17:20. It arrives in the Jammu Tawi Railway Station the next day at 10:05. Journey time is around 40 hours or 1 day and 16 hours. From Jammu Tawi Railway Station, there are plenty of trains going to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station. Here are their timings: Sri Shakti Express Train No. 22461 - This train departs everyday from Mondays to Sundays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 3:10. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 5:10. Journey time is around 2 hours. Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 - This train departs everyday from Mondays to Sundays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 4:40. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 6:30. Journey time is around 2 hours. Uttar Sampark Kranti Train No. 12445 - This train departs everyday from Mondays to Sundays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 6:45. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 8:40. Journey time is around 2 hours. Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 - This train departs everyday from Mondays to Sundays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 9:40. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 11:50. Journey time is around 2 hours. Kalka SVDK Express Train No. 14503 - This train departs during Wednesdays and Saturdays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 2:30. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 4:45. Journey time is around 2 hours. Ahmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 19415 - This train departs during Tuesdays from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Its departure time is 5:05. It arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at 7:00. Journey time is around 2 hours. So with this, you can reach Katra in about 42 hours or 1 day and 18 hours. 2. By Air - If you'd like to reach Katra at a quicker time, then you can consider taking a flight. Again, your route would be: Pune > Airplane to Jammu Airport > Train or Taxi or Bus to Katra. From Pune Airport to Jammu Airport, here are some flight schedules: Indigo 6E 692 - Departs at 00:40 and arrives at 9:00. Flight duration is around 8 hours. Fare is at Rs. 7,632 per passenger. Indigo 6E 182 - Departs at 5:20 and arrives at 13:00. Flight duration is around 8 hours. Fare is at Rs. 7,949 per passenger. Indigo 6E 304 - Departs at 7:30 and arrives at 15:45. Flight duration is around 8 hours. Fare is at Rs. 8,114 per passenger. Jet Airways 9W 364 - Departs at 5:30 and arrives at 13:15. Flight duration is around 8 hours. Fare is at Rs. 8,403 per passenger. Jet Airways 9W 374 - Departs at 7:35 and arrives at 13:15. Flight duration is around 6 hours. Fare is at Rs. 8,403 per passenger. From Jammu Airport, you can ride a taxi to reach the Jammu Railway Station and from there ride the trains I posted above to reach Katra. There are also buses plying from the Mini Bus Stand outside of the Jammu Railway Station to Katra. Fares vary but it's between Rs. 50 to Rs. 80 per passenger. Timings are also not fixed but there are frequent buses plying this route for the whole day. 3. By Bus - This is not the recommended route for you as you said that you don't have a lot of time in your hands. However, I'd still post your bus options in here. This is the route that you have to take: Pune > Bus to Jaipur > Bus to Jammu > Bus to Katra. From Pune to Jaipur, there are only a few buses plying this route. Here is one bus timing I was able to find: Maharashtra Travels Pune Gill - They have an AC Sleeper Bus which departs from Pune at 1:00 pm. This bus then arrives in Jaipur at 11:55 am. Fare is at Rs. 1,800 per passenger. From Jaipur to Jammu, here is one timing I was able to find: Jain Shiv Shankar Travels - They have an AC Sleeper Bus which departs from Jaipur at 3:00 pm. This bus then arrives in Jammu at 9:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 1,500 per passenger. From Jammu, just go to the Mini Bus Stand and board a bus going to Katra. ALTERNATIVE - You can also reach Delhi from Pune. From Delhi, there are plenty of buses going to Katra directly. Here are some of their timings: DTC Volvo Buses - Their timings are 7:00 and 23:30. These buses then arrive in Katra at 8:00 and 11:00 respectively. Fare is at Rs. 800 per passenger. JKSRTC Non AC Bus - Timing for this is at 22:40 and arrival is at 11:30. Fare is at Rs. 345 per passenger. Travel Point Buses - Their AC Seater Bus departs at 9:50 pm and arrives at 10:30 am the next day. Fare is at Rs. 1,200 per passenger. Their Non AC Seater Bus departs at 7:00 pm and arrives the next day at 8:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 450 to Rs. 700 per passenger. I won't recommend buses to reach Delhi from Pune. Instead, board a train going to Delhi, here are their timings: Yesvantpur Chandigarh Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 22685 - Departs from Pune at 9:00 during Sundays and Thursdays only. Goa Express Train No. 12779 - Departs daily from Pune at 4:10 and arrives at 6:10 the next day in Delhi. There you go. I still recommend the first option, which is via train from Pune to Jammu and then another train from Jammu to Katra. It's faster as compared to buses or to the alternative transportation option I've given you. Travelling via flight is the fastest way to reach Katra but it is also the most expensive. I hope this helps.
