My family and I are going to be in Jaipur for a holiday. Some changes are being made to our holiday and we would all like to go to Vaishno Devi after our visit in Jaipur. What we would like to know if is if there are any direct Jaipur to Vaishno Devi trains, if yes which train service would you recommend?
Hello, welcome to the forum! (Images from Jorge Lascar, Mapio, India Rail Info, India Rail Info and Raul Caeser) Overview The Vaishno Devi Bhavan is located quite a distance away from Jaipur. The Vaishno Devi Bhavan is about 915 kilometre away from Jaipur or 14 hours of driving away. The Vaishno Devi Bhavan is located in Katra, a small town in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. There are two ways of reaching the small town via train, if you're coming from other metro cities like Jaipur. You can either reach it directly via the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station or indirectly via the Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Not a lot of trains ply through any of these routes though so plan accordingly. How to Reach Vaishno Devi Katra from Jaipur (By Train) 1. Jaipur to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station - This is your first option, reaching the holy town via train from Jaipur to its main railway station, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station. Only one train runs through this route and it doesn't have a daily schedule. Below, the time table of the train along with other important information would be given. Jaipur to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station Trains Train Name and NumberDeparture Station - TimeArrival Station - TimeJourney Duration -HaltsScheduleAhmedabad Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express Train No. 19415Jaipur Junction - 7:45SVDK - 7:0023 Hours and 15 Minutes - 17MondayThis is the only direct train plying between Jaipur and Katra, that is the Ahmedabad Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express Train No. 19415. The train departs from the Jaipur Junction Railway Station at 7:45 in the morning and arrives in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station at 7:00 in the morning of the next day. The journey is around 23 hours and 15 minutes, plus the train takes 17 halts along the way. The downside is that, this train only has one schedule in a week, which is during Mondays. Fare rates are at Rs. 285 for a General Quota class, Rs. 485 for a Sleeper class, Rs. 1,320 for a 3AC class and Rs. 1,915 for a 2AC class. This train would drop you off directly at Katra. You can pursue darshan immediately after departing from the station or even opt to stay in one of the nearby hotels to the railway station. You can ride an auto rickshaw to reach the main entrance to the Vaishno Devi Bhavan from the railway station as well. 2. Jaipur to Jammu Tawi Railway Station - Your next option is to reach Jammu first from Jaipur via train. The distance between Jammu and Jaipur is about 873 kilometres. Before the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station was created, most pilgrims would access the Jammu Tawi Railway Station first before riding a bus or taxi to reach the main town of Katra. The distance between Jammu and Katra is about 46 kilometres so it's barely an hour of travelling away once you reach the former. Jaipur to Jammu Tawi Railway Station Trains Train Name and NumberDeparture Station - TimeArrival Station - TimeJourney Duration -HaltsSchedulePooja SF Express Train No. 12413Jaipur Junction - 16:25Jammu Tawi - 8:2015 Hours and 55 Minutes - 16DailyUdaipur Jammu Tawi Garib Rath Special Train No. 04971Jaipur Junction - 19:35Jammu Tawi - 13:4018 Hours and 5 Minutes - 13FridayAhmedabad Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express Train No. 19415Jaipur Junction - 7:45Jammu Tawi - 4:5521 Hours and 10 Minutes - 15MondayThere are three trains running between Jaipur and Jammu. The train with the shortest journey duration is the Pooja SF Express Train No. 12413, which departs from the Jaipur Junction at 16:25 in the afternoon and arrives in the Jammu Tawi Railway Station at 8:20 in the morning. Journey duration is around 15 hours and 55 minutes with 16 halts along the way. This train has daily schedules too, so it's very convenient. Fare rates are at Rs. 265 for a General Quota class, Rs. 265 for Second Sitting class, Rs. 460 for a Sleeper class, Rs. 1,210 for a 3AC class, Rs. 1,725 for a 2AC class and Rs. 2,930 for a 1AC class. The Udaipur Jammu Tawi Garib Rath Special Train No. 04971 only departs from the Jaipur Junction during Fridays at around 19:35 in the evening. It arrives at the Jammu Tawi Railway Station at around 13:40 in the afternoon of the next day. Journey duration is about 18 hours and 5 minutes with 13 halts along the way. The last train is the Ahmedabad Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express Train No. 19415, the same as the direct train above, since it has a stopover in Jammu Railway Station too. Now, once you reach the Jammu Tawi Railway Station, you have two options. You can either ride a taxi to reach the main town of Katra or ride a bus operated by the JKSRTC, a much cheaper option, to reach Katra. By taxi, journey duration is around an hour or so, but the incurred fare would be around Rs. 1,300 to Rs. 1,700. If there are plenty of you reaching Katra, you can split the bill into the members of the group. But if it's only one person travelling, his best option would be via bus. JKSRTC Buses from Jammu to Katra Bus TypeDeparture TimeArrival TimeFareDeluxe7:009:00Rs. 86Deluxe8:0010:00Rs. 86Deluxe9:0011:00Rs. 86Deluxe12:0014:00Rs. 86Deluxe16:3018:30Rs. 86These are the JKSRTC buses plying between Jammu and Katra. These buses depart from the Rail Head Bus Stop in Jammu and arrive in the Main Bus Stand of Katra. Journey duration is around 2 hours, at the most. All buses are of the deluxe type and the earliest bus departs at 7:00 in the morning from Jammu. The latest bus departs from Jammu at around 16:30 in the afternoon. Fare is at Rs. 86 per passenger for any of these buses. You can book any of these buses from the booking website RedBus. Conclusion For those coming in from Jaipur and would like to visit the Vaishno Devi Bhavan in Katra, there is one direct train that you can ride running between these two cities. The train runs once a week only though so you might need to fix your schedule accordingly. You can also opt to reach Jammu, about 46 kilometres away from Katra. There are three trains plying between Jaipur and Jammu, one even runs daily. These are your direct train options from Jaipur to the Vaishno Devi Bhavan in Katra. Instead of reaching the capital, opt for these trains instead to make your journey more convenient.