Vande Bharat To One Of India's 'Most-Visited Religious Sites' Gets New Route | Check Stops, Timings, Ticket Price

Indian Railways has revised the route of its 74th Vande Bharat Express, the Amritsar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra train, effective June 16. The semi-high-speed service, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10, 2025, will now run via a new corridor through Punjab.

The Railway Board approved the rerouting in March 2026, diverting train numbers 26405/26406 away from the Jalandhar Cantt route. The Firozpur Division of Northern Railway, which operates and maintains the train, announced the change citing passenger convenience.

Under the revised route, the Amritsar–Katra Vande Bharat Express will now travel via Batala, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot — replacing the earlier Jalandhar Cantt alignment. The train covers a total distance of 285 km and runs on all days of the week except Saturday.

The revised service will make four intermediate stops: Batala Junction, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Jammu Tawi — giving passengers in the Gurdaspur belt direct Vande Bharat connectivity to the Vaishno Devi shrine for the first time.

On the Amritsar-to-Katra leg, train number 26405 departs Amritsar at 16:40 hrs and arrives at Katra at 21:45 hrs. The return service, train number 26406, leaves Katra at 06:40 hrs and reaches Amritsar at 11:40 hrs — completing the 285-km journey in just over five hours each way.

The Amritsar–Katra Vande Bharat Express offers two seating classes. An AC Chair Car ticket between the two endpoints is priced at Rs 1,040, while an Executive Chair Car seat costs Rs 1,825.

The 74th Vande Bharat Express is part of Indian Railways' ongoing expansion of semi-high-speed connectivity to key pilgrimage and tourist destinations. The Amritsar–Katra corridor serves one of India's most-visited religious sites, the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.