Pilgrims from Gujarat and western Rajasthan no longer have to haul their bags across the platforms at Jammu Tawi to reach Mata Vaishno Devi. Indian Railways has extended the Sabarmati–Jammu Tawi Express all the way to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and the first extended run left Sabarmati on Sunday, October 18. The return service from Katra starts on Tuesday, October 20.
The change looks small on paper – one more stretch of track at the end of a long route – but for families who make the yatra every year, it removes the most tiring part of the trip: getting off a 30-hour train in the middle of the night and hunting for a connection to Katra.
What has changed
The train keeps its numbers. Train 19223 now runs from Sabarmati to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and train 19224 runs back from Katra to Sabarmati. Until now the service ended at Jammu Tawi, and passengers heading for the shrine had to switch to another train, a bus or a taxi for the last leg up to the base town of Katra.
With the extension, the train now continues beyond Jammu and stops at three more stations on the Jammu–Udhampur–Katra line before reaching the shrine town. Railway officials of the Western Railway and the North Western Railway's Jodhpur division confirmed the new schedule, and bookings for the extended run are open on IRCTC.
Timings at a glance
| Train numbers | 19223 (Sabarmati to Katra) and 19224 (Katra to Sabarmati) |
| First run, 19223 | October 18, 2026 |
| First run, 19224 | October 20, 2026 |
| 19223 departs Sabarmati | 10:25 am |
| 19223 departs Jodhpur | 7:00 pm |
| 19223 arrives Katra | 6:55 pm, next day |
| 19224 departs Katra | 4:50 am |
| 19224 arrives Jodhpur | 4:40 am, next day |
| 19224 arrives Sabarmati | 2:05 pm, next day |
| Journey time | About 32.5 hours (19223) and 33 hours (19224) |
| New halts | Samba, Bari Brahmana, Shaheed Captain Tushar Mahajan (Udhampur) |
Note that Bari Brahmana is listed as a halt for the Katra-bound train; passengers boarding there on the return journey should check the stop on the official enquiry system before travelling.
Why this matters for pilgrims
Vaishno Devi is among the most visited shrines in the country, and Gujarat sends a steady stream of devotees through the year, with numbers rising sharply around Navratri and the winter holidays. Most of them travel as families – elderly parents, children, luggage for a week. For them, a single unbroken journey is worth a lot more than the hours it saves.
The previous routine went something like this: reach Jammu Tawi, step out with all the bags, find either a connecting train or a shared taxi, and then do the roughly hour-and-a-half road journey to Katra. A direct train cuts that step out completely and drops passengers right at the foot of the Trikuta hills, from where the trek to the Bhawan begins.
Travellers from Jodhpur benefit too. The train passes through the Jodhpur division of North Western Railway, so passengers from Marwar now get a direct evening departure to Katra without a change of train.
The Udhampur stop and its name
One of the new halts is Shaheed Captain Tushar Mahajan station at Udhampur. The station is named after an Army officer from Udhampur who was killed in action in 2016, and the stop is useful for passengers travelling to Udhampur town and the Patnitop side as well.
How to book and what to check
- Open IRCTC or the Rail Connect app and search for Sabarmati (SBIB) or your boarding station to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK).
- Look for train 19223 on dates from October 18 onwards, or 19224 from October 20 onwards for the return.
- Check the stoppage list for your boarding point, since timings at intermediate stations have been revised along with the extension.
- Plan your Vaishno Devi yatra registration separately through the Shrine Board's official channels; a train ticket does not include the yatra slip.
- Confirm the live running status on NTES on the day of travel, as schedules can be adjusted.
What happens next
The extension is part of a wider push by Indian Railways to bring more long-distance trains straight to Katra rather than ending them at Jammu. Railway officials have also revised the timings of a few other Katra-bound trains, including the Sabarmati–Katra Express (19415) and the Malwa Express (12919), so regular travellers on those trains should re-check their schedules.
With the festive season and winter holidays approaching, demand for Katra tickets usually spikes. If the new service fills up quickly, it may strengthen the case for more direct trains from western India. For now, devotees from Gujarat and Rajasthan finally have a one-train journey to the Mata's doorstep.
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