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Overview
The distance between Delhi and Srinagar is about 838 kilometres. If you're driving this distance, it can take around 16 to 17 hours to cover. With public transportation though, the journey might be longer, even reaching about 20 hours or more. If you're thinking about taking a train from Delhi to Srinagar, there are no direct ones so you need to break your journey in some places. Srinagar doesn't have its own railway station as of the moment, although some parts of it are completed already but it isn't directly connected to Delhi yet.
How to Reach Srinagar from Delhi
It's a bit more complicated to reach Srinagar by train from Delhi. The Srinagar Railway Station is part of the Kashmir Railway but as mentioned, it is not yet fully operational. However, up to the Udhampur Railway Station part of the line, is fully operational and the good news is that it is directly connected to Delhi. From the Udhampur Railway Station, you need to ride a bus or shared taxi to reach Banihal. From Banihal, you can cover the rest of the distance via train again until Srinagar via the Badgam route. So your route would be the following:
| Delhi > Train to Udhampur > Bus or Shared Taxi to Banihal > Train to Srinagar or Badgam |
Delhi to Srinagar Train Route Breakdown
1. Delhi to Udhampur (Train) - The first part of your journey is from Delhi to Udhampur.
- Delhi > Train to Udhampur > Bus or Shared Taxi to Banihal > Train to Srinagar or Badgam.
There are plenty of trains plying this route and the journey duration is around 11 to 14 hours. The trains depart from different railway stations in Delhi though so check carefully which train you're getting. There are also just a few trains with 1AC seating if you prefer that class, but most have 2AC seating.
| Trains from Delhi to Udhampur Railway Station |
| Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
| Andaman Express Train No. 16031 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:40 | Tuesday, Friday and Saturday |
| Himsagar Express Train No. 16317 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:40 | Monday |
| Tirunelveli SVDK Express Train No. 16787 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:40 | Monday and Thursday |
| Jabalpur Katra Express Train No. 11449 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:05 | Wednesday |
| Navyug Express Train No. 16687 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:40 | Thursday |
| Kota Katra Weekly Express Train No. 19803 | New Delhi - 00:10 | Udhampur - 14:43 | Sunday |
| Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 | New Delhi - 17:30 | Udhampur - 4:03 | Daily |
| Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 | Old Delhi Junction - 20:10 | Udhampur - 10:05 | Daily |
| Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 | New Delhi - 20:50 | Udhampur - 7:58 | Daily |
These are the trains plying between Delhi and Udhampur. One of the best options for trains for this route is the Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 as it has a running time of 10 hours and 33 minutes only. It has five halts only and runs everyday as well. Fares vary but the 1AC is at Rs. 2,325 and the 2AC is at Rs. 1,380. Its average delay is just 15 minutes only so still very acceptable.
2. Udhampur to Banihal (Bus or Shared Taxi) - Now we go to the second part of your journey from Udhampur, you need to ride a bus or shared taxi to Banihal.
- Delhi > Train to Udhampur > Bus or Shared Taxi to Banihal > Train to Srinagar or Badgam.
The Indian Railways and JKSRTC has started this road bridging service from Delhi to Srinagar. However, the service is only available for the Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 mentioned above. The ticket costs Rs. 260 and takes passengers directly from the railway station until Banihal by a JKSRTC bus. The bus leaves from Udhampur at 8:45 and arrives at Banihal by 14:00 of the same day. You can also opt to reach Banihal via shared taxi from Udhampur. The shared taxi costs Rs. 500 per person (As of 2016) and the journey can last as long as 5 hours.
3. Banihal to Srinagar (Train) - We now go to the last part of your journey, which is from Banihal to Srinagar via train.
- Delhi > Train to Udhampur > Bus or Shared Taxi to Banihal > Train to Srinagar or Badgam.
For this route, none of the trains actually allow advanced reservation so that's one of the issues you would face with this journey. There are 11 trains plying this route but it's difficult to actually time your schedules with these ones as the bus or taxi journey from Udhampur to Banihal doesn't have a fixed duration.
| Trains from Banihal to Srinagar Railway Station |
| Train Name and Number | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Schedule |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74625 | 6:30 | 8:00 | Daily |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74619 | 7:25 | 8:58 | Daily except Saturday |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74635 | 8:15 | 9:47 | Daily except Sunday |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74637 | 9:35 | 11:30 | Daily |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74631 | 10:50 | 12:40 | Daily except Wednesday |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74615 | 11:45 | 13:25 | Daily except Saturday |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74633 | 12:55 | 14:36 | Daily |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74627 | 14:45 | 16:25 | Daily except Tuesday |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74639 | 16:20 | 18:10 | Daily |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74629 | 17:25 | 19:10 | Daily |
| Banihal Baramula Train No. 74611 | 19:00 | 20:33 | Daily except Sunday |
These are all the trains plying between Banihal and Srinagar. If ever you can make it to the road bridging service mentioned above, in which the bus arrives at 14:00 in Banihar, then you can board any of the last four trains plying from Banihal to Srinagar. Fare is very minimal at Rs. 20 per passenger and journey duration is around 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Summary of Train Journey from Delhi to Srinagar + Comparison with Bus Journey
As you can see from the guide above, the train journey from Delhi to Srinagar is not direct. You need to reach Udhampur first from Delhi and from there, ride a bus or shared taxi until Banihal. From Banihal, you resume your train journey until Srinagar. Below, let us differentiate the train journey with the bus journey from Delhi to Srinagar.
| Train Journey Versus Bus Journey |
| Category | Train Journey | Bus Journey |
| Duration of Journey | 20 Hours | 24 Hours |
| Fare Incurred | Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,500 | Rs. 965 to Rs. 1,670 |
| Type of Journey | Connecting | Direct |
| Type of Seats | Seater/Sleeper | Seater/Sleeper |
So this table highlights the main differences between the two types of journeys. If you take a direct bus from Delhi to Srinagar, journey duration would be around 24 hours or more. Comparing that to train journey, it is a bit longer, as train journey can be as much as 20 hours, but less if you take the more punctual trains with shorter durations of journey. Fares incurred for the train journey would be higher depending on the class of seat you take as well. Fares for the bus journey differ depending on whether it's a seater or sleeper bus, but rates are around Rs. 965 to Rs. 1,670.
Conclusion
Although train journey is a bit more complicated, it does cut your travel time by a few hours as compared to the bus journey. If you can make it to the Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445, you can reach Srinagar even in a day's time. But even if you don't, there are plenty of other trains that can fulfil your journey needs. Bus journey is good too, but it takes a longer time although there is no changing of buses needed anymore. So in the end, it depends upon your needs. If you need to reach Srinagar at the quickest time possible, train journey is your best choice. If you want convenience, then bus journey might be your best choice.
I hope this helps you.
Option 1: Train + Shared Taxi/Bus (Budget-Friendly)
Option 2: Train + Flight (Fastest)
Option 3: Train + Road (Scenic)
Q: When will the direct train from Delhi to Srinagar start?