Now, embarking on a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi has become more accessible with a newly inaugurated route. The Ministry of Railways recently announced a new train service between Katihar in Bihar and the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu's Katra. This train, operated by the Northern Railway (NR) zone, was introduced as a festival special train to accommodate the increased traffic during the festive season.
With train numbers 04640/04639, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Katihar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Reserved Festival Special Express Train (SVDK-Katihar-SVDK) travels a distance exceeding 1500 km in 35 hours and 30 minutes. It's set to become the quickest train along this route, surpassing the Lohit Express, which takes 35 hours and 35 minutes to cover the same distance.
As part of the just-concluded festive season, the train left Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on November 15 at 9:30 pm, arriving in Katihar at 09:00 am on November 17. On its way back, train number 04639 departed Katihar at 11:00 am on November 17, 2023, and arrived back in Jammu on November 19, at 11:00 pm.
The SVDK-Katihar-SVDK Reserved Festival Special Express train had coaches in the AC 3 Class Economy category, with a fare of INR 2,145 for each passenger travelling between the origin and destination stations.
During its journey, the SVDK-Katihar-SVDK Reserved Festival Special Express train made stops at 20 stations. These included – Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan, Jammu Tawi, Pathankot Cantt, Jalandhar Cantt, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt, Yamunanagar Jagadhri, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Sitapur, Gonda, Basti, Gorakhpur, Chhapra, Hajipur, Barauni Junction, Begusarai, Khagaria Junction, and Naugachia railway stations.
Earlier, Indian Railways also launched the Bharat Gaurav Special Tourist train for the 'Diwali Ganga Snana Yathirai' tour package. The journey, spanning eight nights and nine days, commenced on November 9 and concluded on November 17. This tour encompassed significant religious and tourist destinations across the country, covering six states: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
