Hi,
@Scedva, welcome to the forum!
Overview
The distance between Chandigarh and Katra is about 400 kilometers. There are several ways of covering this distance, namely, by air, by road or by rail. With the latter, for those who want a comfortable journey, travel duration can be as long as 8 hours and 40 minutes. But this travel duration is only for the direct train that goes from Chandigarh to Katra. If you want more options for train journey, you'd have to travel to the south, also by train, to reach Ambala, where there are more trains that run to reach Katra. In this guide, we would discuss about your train options, to reach Katra from the union territory of Chandigarh.
Direct Train from Chandigarh to Katra
As mentioned above, there is only one train that runs directly between Chandigarh and Katra. This is an express train and has General Waiting List (GNWL) quota as well. It runs twice a week from Chandigarh to Katra and only once a week for the journey back. It departs from the Chandigarh Junction Railway Station early in the night and terminates at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station early in the morning. Below are some details about this direct train that might be useful to you.
Train from Chandigarh to Katra (Direct)
| Train Name & Number | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Schedule | Journey Duration |
| Kalka Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Express Train No. 14503 | 19:55 | 4:35 | Tuesdays and Fridays | 8 Hours and 40 Minutes |
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Express Train No. 14503 is the only direct train from Chandigarh to Katra. It originates from Kalka in Haryana and has a stopover in Chandigarh along the way. It departs from the Chandigarh Junction Railway Station at around 19:55 in the evening. It then terminates at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station at around 4:35 in the morning. Total journey duration is 8 hours and 40 minutes, with an average delay of 5 minutes, more or less. Fares are at Rs. 995 for the 2A, Rs. 720 for the 3A, Rs. 265 for the SL and Rs. 155 for the II.
Alternative - Indirect Train Journey (Chandigarh > Ambala > Katra)
If, for some reason, you are not able to board the train above, perhaps it doesn't fit well into your schedule, you have an alternative. Ambala, located in Haryana, about 50 kilometres away from Chandigarh, has plenty of direct trains reaching Katra. The downside is that you'd have to travel to the south for about an hour so this adds to your journey duration. But if you'd like more options for trains, then you can consider this route. First, you have to ride a train to reach the Ambala Cantonment Junction Railway Station from the Chandigarh Junction. There are many trains for this route but I'd only highlight, in the table below, the ones that reach Ambala in the quickest time.
Trains from Chandigarh to Ambala
| Train Name & Number | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Schedule | Journey Duration |
| Goa Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12450 | 2:05 | 2:50 | Mondays and Saturdays | 45 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Yesvantpur Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 22686 | 3:25 | 4:10 | Tuesdays and Saturdays | 45 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Mumbai Bandra Bi-Weekly SF Express Train No. 22452 | 5:45 | 6:30 | Sundays and Wednesdays | 45 Minutes |
| Kalka New Delhi Shatabdi Express Train No. 12006 | 6:53 | 7:33 | Daily | 40 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Madurai SF Express Train No. 22688 | 7:50 | 8:40 | Mondays and Fridays | 50 Minutes |
| Chandigarh New Delhi Shatabdi Express Train No. 12046 | 12:00 | 12:40 | Daily Except Sundays | 40 Minutes |
| Unchahar Express Train No. 14218 | 16:40 | 17:25 | Daily | 45 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Ajmer Garib Rath Express Train No. 12984 | 20:50 | 21:30 | Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays | 40 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Lucknow SF Express Train No. 12232 | 21:10 | 21:50 | Daily | 40 Minutes |
| Chandigarh Dibrugarh Express Train No. 15904 | 23:15 | 00:02 | Sundays and Wednesdays | 47 Minutes |
The table above highlights the different trains running from Chandigarh Junction to Ambala Cantonment Junction. Keep in mind that this is just a partial list, only the trains with the shortest journey durations were listed above. There are, in total, 35 trains that run through this route but only the top 10 quickest ones are showcased in the list. As early as 1:10 in the morning, a train starts its journey for this route, though this train is not on the list. And as late as 23:15 in the evening, trains still ply through this route. There are also some unreserved trains for this route. Since the journey is just short, you can opt for lower seat classes, like II which costs Rs. 45 to Rs. 60 per person or SL which costs Rs. 140 to Rs. 170 per person.
Once you reach the Ambala Cantonment Junction Railway Station, you can then alight and board another train going to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station. Unlike the previous route, from Chandigarh Junction Railway Station to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station, this route has more trains. Of course journey duration would be slightly longer, reaching 11 hours at the most, considering the delays that the trains might encounter.
Trains from Ambala to Katra
| Train Name & Number | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Schedule | Journey Duration |
| Jammu Mail Train No. 14033 | 00:25 | 11:05 | Daily | 10 Hours and 40 Minutes |
| Anand Vihar SVDK SF Train No. 04401 | 3:25 | 13:00 | Tuesdays and Saturdays | 9 Hours and 35 Minutes |
| Kamakhya SVDK Express Train No. 15655 | 6:50 | 16:00 | Tuesdays | 9 Hours and 10 Minutes |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12475 | 8:05 | 17:10 | Thursdays | 9 Hours and 5 Minutes |
| Jamnagar Katra SF Express Train No. 12477 | 8:05 | 17:10 | Wednesdays | 9 Hours and 5 Minutes |
| Sarvodaya Express Train No. 12473 | 8:05 | 17:10 | Sundays | 9 Hours and 5 Minutes |
| Swaraj Express Train No. 12471 | 8:05 | 17:10 | Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays | 9 Hours and 5 Minutes |
| Yesvantpur SVDK Suvidha Express Train No. 82651 | 10:55 | 20:25 | Mondays | 9 Hours and 30 Minutes |
| Shri Shakti AC Express Train No. 22461 | 20:30 | 5:10 | Daily | 8 Hours and 40 Minutes |
| Hemkunt Express Train No. 14609 | 21:20 | 6:30 | Daily | 9 Hours and 10 Minutes |
| Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 | 23:55 | 8:40 | Daily | 8 Hours and 45 Minutes |
These are all the direct trains from Ambala to Katra. They depart from the Ambala Cantonment Junction Railway Station and terminate at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station. There's a train as early as 00:25 in the morning but you won't be able to catch this one if you decide to go by train from Chandigarh. Your next best option would be the Anand Vihar SVDK SF Train No. 04401, which departs from Ambala at around 3:25 in the morning. For later trains, there are many that run around the whole day, but the latest train departs from Ambala at around 23:55 in the evening. Fares are around Rs. 1,735 for the 1A, Rs. 1,030 for the 2A, Rs. 720 for the 3A, Rs. 265 for the SL and Rs. 155 for the II.
Conclusion
There is only one direct train that runs from Chandigarh to Katra. If this train doesn't go well with your schedule, your other option is to reach Ambala Cantonment Junction and from there, board a train that directly goes to Katra. You'd have more options for this route, as compared to the previous but the journey would be slightly longer. Fare-wise, there's not much difference, especially if you choose the lower class of seat for the Chandigarh to Ambala train journey.
I hope this helps!
