Festival Season by Rail From Jammu and Katra: A Booking Checklist for Dussehra to Diwali

Trains out of Jammu Tawi and Katra fill early in festival season, and this year Northern Railway has added or changed several services at once. Here is a checklist of what has been announced, what the sources disagree on, and what to confirm before you pay.

1. Badgam-Katra: now a regular train

Northern Railway is introducing the Badgam-Katra-Badgam Special Express (04688/04687) as a regular service from 19 October 2026, according to a report on News on AIR dated 2 September. It will run six days a week, except Sundays, with AC Chair Car accommodation.

• 04688, Badgam to Katra: departs 07:20, arrives 13:00.
• 04687, Katra to Badgam: departs 13:45, arrives 20:00.
• Stops listed: Srinagar, Awantipora, Anantnag, Qazigund, Banihal, Khari, Sumber, Sangaldan, Sawalkote, Dugga, Bakkal and Reasi.

For students and workers in Reasi, Banihal or the Valley, that makes a same-day trip to Katra possible. We covered the earlier special in The Direct Budgam-Katra Train Is Back (JammuBeat spells it Budgam).

2. Delhi-Katra festival special: which dates?

The New Delhi-Katra special (04081/04082) is where the reports differ.

• Business Today (22 September) says it runs four trips in each direction, 8 to 12 October, around the Dussehra rush, via Jammu Tawi, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ambala.
• Kashmir Despatch (1 October) reports extra runs: 04081 leaves New Delhi at 23:45 on 2, 3 and 4 October (arriving Katra 12:00 next day), and 04082 leaves Katra at 21:00 on 3, 4 and 5 October (arriving New Delhi 10:00 next morning). Those dates have already passed.

We could not find a Northern Railway or PIB notice to settle the full schedule. The only window we can state with confidence is 8 to 12 October; whether the train runs on other dates has not been confirmed here. Search by train number on IRCTC before planning around it. Our earlier guide to three festival specials carries the other pairs, to Varanasi.

3. The extra Rajdhani coach

Kashmir Despatch reports that an additional 3rd AC coach has been added to 12426 Jammu Tawi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express on select dates between 4 October and 26 November 2026. The report does not list the dates, so check your date on IRCTC.

Don't get caught out

1. Book by train number, not by route name; specials and regular trains share the same corridor.
2. Check the running days. Several specials run on a few dates only.
3. Confirm times on IRCTC or via RailMadad (139) close to travel; timetables for specials can change.
4. Going to Katra for the Navratra festival? Read our weekend checklist.
5. Heading to Srinagar instead? See the Vande Bharat guide.

Hero image: File photo of Jammu Tawi railway station.

Sources:

• News on AIR: Northern Railway to introduce regular Badgam-Katra special express from October 19
• Kashmir Despatch: Delhi-Katra special trains and Rajdhani coach
• Business Today: Railways adds special trains linking Delhi, Katra and Varanasi