Indian Railways Revises Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat Route, Check Out New Stops And Timing

Indian Railways has revised the route of the country's 74th Vande Bharat Express, which operates between Amritsar and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK). Effective June 16, the semi-high-speed train will run via Gurdaspur instead of the earlier Jalandhar Cantt route, enhancing connectivity and convenience for passengers, especially pilgrims, in the region.

The Railway Board had approved the route change earlier this year. "Connect Northern Railway's letter No. 1-TT/Vande Bharat/2026 dated 12.03.2026 regarding diversion of 26405/26406 Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express via Gurdaspur instead of Jalandhar Cantt. Railway Board approves," the RB said in a letter dated March 23.

The Firozpur Division of Northern Railway, which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the train, also confirmed the change. "Keeping in view the convenience of passengers, Train No. 26406/26405 Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat Express will now be operated via Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot route."

The development marks the return of the train service, which had been suspended on November 25 last year due to the construction of a railway bridge between Chak Rakhwal in Jammu and Madhopur in Punjab. With the completion of the required infrastructure work, the Vande Bharat Express is now set to resume operations with a revised route and updated timetable.

Under the new schedule, Train No. 26405/26406 Amritsar-Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat Express will operate on all days except Saturday. The train will cover a distance of 285 kilometres in approximately 5 hours and 5 minutes. It will now halt at four stations along the route: Batala Junction, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Jammu Tawi.

The resumption of the service is expected to provide a major boost to pilgrims travelling to the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. In addition, passengers from Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts will benefit from improved rail connectivity through direct access to the semi-high-speed train service.

Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat Express Timings

From June 17, Train No. 26405 will depart from Amritsar at 4:40 pm and reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 9:45 pm. En route, it will stop at Batala Junction at 5:18 pm, Gurdaspur at 5:58 pm, Pathankot at 6:32 pm and Jammu Tawi at 8:03 pm.

On its return journey, Train No. 26406 will leave Katra at 6:40 am and arrive in Amritsar at 11:40 am. The train will reach Jammu Tawi at 8:03 am, Pathankot at 9:35 am, Gurdaspur at 10:15 am, and Batala Junction at 10:54 am.

Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat Express Ticket Fare

The Amritsar-Katra Vande Bharat Express offers two seating categories: AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car. The fare for an AC Chair Car ticket between Amritsar and Katra is Rs 1,040, while passengers opting for the Executive Chair Car will have to pay Rs 1,825.