Jammu Tawi

Jammu has had two railways. The first, the Jammu–Sialkot line, opened in 1890: a 43 km broad-gauge branch linking Jammu to Sialkot Junction (now in Pakistan), with Jammu's old station built around 1897 at Bikram Chowk. Partition in 1947 cut the line, and Jammu was left without a railway for a quarter of a century.

The second began with the new line from Pathankot. The present Jammu Tawi station opened for goods traffic on 2 October 1972 and for passengers on 2 December 1972. The first train was the Delhi–Jammu Tawi Srinagar Express, later renamed the Jhelum Express.

Jammu Tawi is being transformed in a ₹500 crore redevelopment:

• platforms upgraded from 3 to 7
• a 15,600 square metre main building
• a 72-metre-wide air concourse over the tracks
• a 4,500 square metre second entrance on the Narwal side
• train washing pits increased from 3 to 5, with yard remodelling completed in early 2025

Electrification of the Jalandhar–Jammu section, including the station and sidings, was approved in August 2014.

• Jalandhar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra line
• Amritsar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra line
• Jammu–Baramulla line, the route of the Kashmir rail link

For decades Jammu was the end of the line for pilgrims bound for the Vaishno Devi shrine. The railway has since been extended to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and onwards through the mountains on the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link towards the Kashmir Valley, including Vande Bharat trains equipped for winter conditions. Services on this route are still being expanded, so check the latest timetable on the train schedule page.

The Himsagar Express to Kanyakumari, one of India's longest-running trains at about 70 hours, used to start from Jammu Tawi and now starts from Katra.

• Many trains now start at Katra rather than Jammu; check your ticket.
• Expect thorough security checks at the station; arrive early.