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Overview
The distance between Jammu and Katra is about 46 kilometres or an hour of driving. If you're planning to reach Katra via train, it has its own railway station, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station. This station is directly connected to the Jammu Tawi Railway, which was the main railway that connected Katra to other cities before the establishment of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station. Unlike road journey though, train journey is a bit longer, due to the delays that the train encounters along the way. Expect travel time to be around two hours, more or less, from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) Railway Station.
Jammu to Katra Trains Time Table
Specifically, 19 trains ply between Jammu and Katra, all of which are reserved ones. In the table below, these trains would be highlighted, arranged from the earliest train departing from Jammu, up to the latest train departing from Jammu. Other important information about the trains would also be given in the table for your convenience.
Time Table for Trains Between Jammu Tawi Railway Station and SVDK Railway Station
| Train Name and Number | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Journey Duration (Halts) | Schedule |
| Kalka SVDK Express Train No. 14503 | 2:30 | 4:35 | 2 Hours and 5 Minutes (1) | Wednesday and Saturday |
| Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 | 3:10 | 5:10 | 2 Hours (1) | Daily |
| Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 | 4:40 | 6:30 | 1 Hour and 50 Minutes (1) | Daily |
| Ahmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 19415 | 5:05 | 7:00 | 1 Hour and 55 Minutes (1) | Tuesday |
| Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 | 6:25 | 8:40 | 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (2) | Daily |
| Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 | 8:40 | 11:05 | 2 Hours and 25 Minutes (2) | Daily |
| Anand Vihar SVDK Special Fare Train No. 04401 | 10:50 | 13:00 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Tuesday and Saturday |
| Andaman Express Train No. 16031 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Tuesday, Friday and Saturday |
| Himsagar Express Train No. 16317 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Monday |
| Tirunelveli SVDK Express Train No. 16787 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Monday and Thursday |
| Jabalpur Katra Express Train No. 11449 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Wednesday |
| Navyug Express Train No. 16687 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Thursday |
| Kota Katra Weekly Express Train No. 19803 | 13:10 | 15:20 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Sunday |
| Kamakhya SVDK Express Train No. 15655 | 13:50 | 16:00 | 2 Hours and 10 Minutes (1) | Tuesday |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12475 | 14:55 | 17:10 | 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (1) | Thursday |
| Jamnagar Katra SF Express Train No. 12477 | 14:55 | 17:10 | 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (1) | Wednesday |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12473 | 14:55 | 17:10 | 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (1) | Sunday |
| Swaraj Express Train No. 12471 | 14:55 | 17:10 | 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (1) | Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday |
| Yesvantpur SVDK Suvidha Express Train No. 82651 | 18:05 | 20:25 | 2 Hours and 20 Minutes (0) | Monday |
This table highlights the different trains plying between Jammu Tawi Railway Station and SVDK Railway Station. As you can see, some trains have one halt, other trains have two halts and one train doesn't have any halts throughout the whole journey. Also included in the table are the departure times and arrival times of the trains, along with their journey durations and of course, schedules in a week.
Which Trains Should You Choose?
1. The Fastest Train With a Downside - From the table above, you can see that the Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 is the fastest train, which arrives in SVDK Railway Station from Jammu Tawi Railway Station in a span of 1 hour and 50 minutes. The train also runs daily so it's easy to fit it into your schedule. It only has one halt along the way but there's a huge downside to this train. On average, its delay is 40 minutes so that means you would reach SVDK Railway Station in over 2 hours and 30 minutes.
2. A Better Choice - The Ahmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 19415 is a better choice as it has a journey duration of 1 hour and 55 minutes. It departs from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station at 5:05 and arrives at the SVDK Railway Station at 7:00. Its average delay is just three minutes, so it's very acceptable because the delay isn't that huge as compared to the former. However, it only runs during Tuesdays so you need to plan accordingly in order to make it to this train.
3. Also a Good Choice - The Kalka SVDK Express Train No. 14503 is also a good option. Although it runs very early in the morning, at 2:30 and arrives in SVDK Railway Station at 4:35, its journey duration is just 2 hours and 5 minutes. Even its average delay is just four minutes so it's very acceptable. It only runs during Wednesdays and Saturdays though so you have to plan accordingly too.
4. The Daily Trains - If you don't mind the delays though but instead want trains that have daily schedules, you can opt for the Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461, the Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 or the Jammu Mail Train No. 14033. All these trains have daily schedules so if you need to book one at a rushed time, you can do so.
5. Trains to Avoid - While the trains mentioned above have delays as well, three trains have the longest delays. These are the following: the Swaraj Express Train No. 12471 (2 Hours and 11 Minutes Delay), the Andaman Express Train No. 16031 (2 Hours and 42 Minutes Delay) and the Kamakhya SVDK Express Train No. 15655 (3 Hours and 32 Minutes Delay).
Jammu to Katra Trains Fare Table
| Train Name and Number | 1A | 2A | 3A | SL | II |
| Kalka SVDK Express Train No. 14503 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 | Rs. 1,235 | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | - | - |
| Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Ahmedabad SVDK Express Train No. 19415 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 | Rs. 1,235 | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
| Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 | Rs. 1,160 | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Anand Vihar SVDK Special Fare Train No. 04401 | - | - | - | - | Rs. 60 |
| Andaman Express Train No. 16031 | - | - | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Himsagar Express Train No. 16317 | - | - | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Tirunelveli SVDK Express Train No. 16787 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Jabalpur Katra Express Train No. 11449 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Navyug Express Train No. 16687 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Kota Katra Weekly Express Train No. 19803 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Kamakhya SVDK Express Train No. 15655 | - | Rs. 695 | Rs. 490 | Rs. 140 | Rs. 60 |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12475 | - | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
| Jamnagar Katra SF Express Train No. 12477 | - | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12473 | - | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
| Swaraj Express Train No. 12471 | - | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
| Yesvantpur SVDK Suvidha Express Train No. 82651 | - | Rs. 740 | Rs. 540 | Rs. 170 | Rs. 75 |
The table above highlights the fares for the different classes of tickets from Jammu to Katra. Not all trains have 1A seating, only 3 trains have them, namely: Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461, Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 and Jammu Mail Train No. 14033. For this class, a ticket costs between Rs. 1,160 to Rs. 1,235. For 2A, it costs between Rs. 695 to Rs. 740. For 3A, it costs between Rs. 490 to Rs. 540. For Sleeper class, it costs between Rs. 140 to Rs. 170. And for General Quota, it costs between Rs. 60 to Rs. 75.
Conclusion
Pilgrims to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple don't have to worry as the temple is easily accessible from Jammu. You just need to board any one of these buses and it will take you directly to the SVDK Railway Station. From the station, the entrance to the holy Vaishno Devi Bhawan is just a few kilometres away. I hope this helps you!
