Hello,
@Mishra, welcome to the forum!
Overview
The distance between Pune and Shirdi is about 200 kilometres. Driving this distance can take around 4 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours. If you take public transportation, like a train or a bus, the journey might be longer, averaging to about 5 to 7 hours. Shirdi is located in the state of Maharashtra and is a popular pilgrimage destination because it was once the home of the guru, Sai Baba. He is revered holy by both Muslim and Hindu devotees and so the town of Shirdi became an important religious destination in the country.
The Nearest Railway Station to Shirdi
Railway Station | Distance from Shirdi | Driving Time from Station to Shirdi |
Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station | 3 Kilometres | 10 Minutes |
Puntamba Junction Railway Station | 16.4 Kilometres | 30 Minutes |
Kopargaon Railway Station | 18 Kilometres | 32 Minutes |
Sanvatsar Railway Station | 21 Kilometres | 35 Minutes |
Chitali Railway Station | 25 Kilometres | 40 Minutes |
As you can see from the table above, the nearest railway station to Shirdi is the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station. It is just about three kilometres away from the city centre of Shirdi. Walking this distance can take around 30 minutes though so it's best to hire a taxi or an auto rickshaw at least from the station to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple or the city centre of Shirdi. The management of the temple also has shuttle services from the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station up to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple as well.
There's one dilemma though, there is only one train plying from Pune to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station and it's a passenger train. The next nearest railway stations are that of Puntamba Junction and Kopargaon. These stations are under 20 kilometres away from Shirdi proper. If you hire a taxi, you can reach Shirdi, from any of these railway stations, for under 35 minutes. From these railway stations, you can also ride another train that can connect you to the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station. The last two railway stations are not directly connected to the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station so they are not good options.
Pune to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station
As mentioned above, there is only one direct train from Pune to the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station. It runs daily though and fare is very minimal at Rs. 50 for General Quota and Rs. 490 for 3AC. Journey duration is around 6 hours and 35 minutes although the train sometimes faces delays.
Train from Pune to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station
Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
Mumbai CST Sainagar Shirdi Fast Passenger Train No. 51033 | Pune Junction - 4:20 | Sainagar Shirdi - 10:55 | Daily |
Pune to Puntamba Junction Railway Station
The Puntamba Junction is about 16.4 kilometres away from Shirdi. You can ride another train from here to the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station though. From Pune to Puntamba Junction, journey duration is around 5 to 7 hours. Fare is around Rs. 50 for the General Quota.
Trains from Pune to Puntamba Junction Railway Station
Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
Pune Manmad Passenger Train No. 51401 | Pune Junction - 00:30 | Puntamba Junction - 7:33 | Daily |
Pune Nizamabad Passenger Train No. 51421 | Pune Junction - 14:25 | Puntamba Junction - 20:25 | Daily |
Maharashtra Express Train No. 11039 | Pune Junction - 23:20 | Puntamba Junction - 4:08 | Daily |
Now, from Puntamba Junction, you have two options, either ride a taxi or ride another train to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station to reach Shirdi from here. Either way works, although the former is more expensive but convenient. Below are the timings for the trains from Puntamba to Sainagar Shirdi. Fare would be around Rs. 45 for a General Quota ticket. Journey duration is merely 20 minutes, more or less.
Trains from Puntamba Junction to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station
Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
Vijayawada Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17208 | Puntamba Junction - 8:47 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Wednesday |
Kakinada Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17206 | Puntamba Junction - 8:47 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday |
Secunderabad Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17002 | Puntamba Junction - 8:47 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Monday and Saturday |
Mumbai CST Sainagar Shirdi Fast Passenger Train No. 51033 | Puntamba Junction - 10:20 | Sainagar Shirdi - 10:55 | Sunday to Wednesday |
Shirdi Express Train No. 22601 | Puntamba Junction - 10:45 | Sainagar Shirdi - 11:30 | Tuesday |
Mysore Shirdi Express Train No. 16217 | Puntamba Junction - 10:45 | Sainagar Shirdi - 11:30 | Tuesday |
Pune to Kopargaon Railway Station
The Kopargaon Railway Station is about 18 kilometres away from Shirdi. The good feature of this railway station is that it has many trains plying from Pune. Fare averages about Rs. 50 and journey duration is about 5 to 8 hours.
Trains from Pune to Kopargaon Railway Station
Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
Pune Manmad Passenger Train No. 51401 | Pune Junction - 00:30 | Kopargaon - 8:22 | Daily |
Pune Nizamabad Passenger Train No. 51421 | Pune Junction - 14:25 | Kopargaon - 21:14 | Daily |
Maharashtra Express Train No. 11039 | Pune Junction - 23:20 | Kopargaon - 4:31 | Daily |
Pune Patna Express Train No. 12149 | Pune Junction - 20:55 | Kopargaon - 1:27 | Daily |
Azad Hind Express Train No. 12129 | Pune Junction - 18:25 | Kopargaon - 23:18 | Daily |
Again, from Kopargaon Railway Station, you can either ride a cab or another train to reach Shirdi. Fare for train journey is around Rs. 60 for General Quota. Journey duration would be around 45 minutes.
Trains from Kopargaon to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station
Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Schedule |
Vijayawada Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17208 | Kopargaon - 8:20 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Wednesday |
Kakinada Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17206 | Kopargaon - 8:20 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday |
Secunderabad Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 17002 | Kopargaon - 8:20 | Sainagar Shirdi - 9:15 | Monday and Saturday |
Dadar Sainagar Express Train No. 12131 | Kopargaon - 3:00 | Sainagar Shirdi - 3:51 | Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday |
Puri Sainagar Shirdi Express Train No. 18407 | Kopargaon - 6:00 | Sainagar Shirdi - 7:30 | Sunday |
Conclusion
So as you can see, you have three options to reach Shirdi from Pune. The most convenient one is via a direct train from Pune to the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station. However, only one daily train plies for this route so you need to fix your schedule accordingly. Your next options would be to reach either the Puntamba Junction or Kopargaon Railway Station from Pune. Then, you can ride another train from either of these stations into the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station.
I hope this helps you.
