I will be in Jammu in the first week of January, and as I will be close to Vaishno Devi, I would like to pay my respects there. My mode of transport would be by train, and I would also like to go to Katra by train as well, as the services have started. I wanted to confirm is there a Jammu to Katra train route? If yes which train would I need to get and what are the timings?
Hello there, welcome to the forum! Overview The distance between Jammu and Katra is about 46 kilometres. It can take you around an hour or so to reach Katra from Jammu if you take your own car. If taking public transportation, such as a train or a bus, the journey duration is longer, about two hours or so. There are direct trains connecting both destinations, from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station in Jammu to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station in Katra. So yes, there is a Jammu to Katra train route and it has a minimum of one stopover or halt along the way. Jammu to Katra Trains There are about 18 trains connecting the two railway stations of Jammu and Katra. Journey duration is around two hours but some trains have journey durations of beyond two hours too. Also, there are no 1AC seats available, but there are seats from 2AC until 2S. Not all trains run everyday as well so check the schedules provided below carefully. Jammu Tawi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra TrainsTrain Name and NumberDeparture Time (Jammu Tawi)Arrival Time (SVDK Katra)Journey DurationScheduleHemkunt Express Train No. 146094:406:301 Hour and 50 MinutesDailyAhmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 194155:057:001 Hour and 55 MinutesTuesdayUttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 124456:458:401 Hour and 55 MinutesDailyShri Shakti AC Express Train No. 224613:105:102 HoursDailyKalka SVDK Express Train No. 145032:304:352 Hours and 5 MinutesWednesday and SaturdayAndaman Express Train No. 1603113:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesTuesday, Friday and SaturdayHimsagar Express Train No. 1631713:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesMondayTirunelveli SVDK Express Train No. 1678713:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesMonday and ThursdayJabalpur Katra Express Train No. 1144913:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesWednesdayNavyug Express Train No. 1668713:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesThursdayKota Katra Weekly Express Train No. 1980313:1015:202 Hours and 10 MinutesSundayKamakhya SVDK Express Train No. 1565513:5016:002 Hours and 10 MinutesTuesdaySarvodaya Express Train No. 1247514:5517:102 Hours and 15 MinutesThursdayJamnagar Katra SF Express Train No. 1247714:5517:102 Hours and 15 MinutesWednesdaySarvodaya Express Train No. 1247314:5517:102 Hours and 15 MinutesSundaySwaraj Express Train No. 1247114:5517:102 Hours and 15 MinutesMonday, Tuesday, Friday and SaturdayYesvantpur SVDK Suvidha Express Train No. 8265118:0520:252 Hours and 20 MinutesMondayJammu Mail Train No. 140338:4011:052 Hours and 25 MinutesDailyThese are all the trains running between Jammu Tawi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. The trains are arranged accordingly, from the shortest journey duration to the longest one. From the table above, the Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 has the shortest journey duration at 1 hour and 50 minutes. It also runs daily but has an average delay of 20 minutes. It only has one stopover though and its fares are Rs. 695 for 2AC, Rs. 490 for 3AC and Rs. 140 for SL. Both the Ahmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 19415 and the Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 has journey durations of 1 hour and 55 minutes. The former only runs during Tuesdays while the latter has daily schedules. The General Quota of both costs less than Rs. 75 per passenger. Average delay is minimal at just 11 minutes for the latter and the former doesn't have any delays. Lastly, the Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 is another good option as it has a running time of 2 hours. It just has one stop and even arrives early for its destination station. It also runs daily so you can fit it into your schedule accordingly. Conclusion So there you go, a list of the trains from Jammu to Katra. There are plenty of options but the ones I listed above are your best choices. There's the Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 for the shortest journey duration or the Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 as one of the most punctual trains. I hope this helps you.