Jodhpur today
Jodhpur train station, officially Jodhpur Junction (station code JU), is the main railway station of Jodhpur, Rajasthan's Blue City, set below the Mehrangarh Fort. It comes under the North Western Railway zone and heads the Jodhpur division, which covers much of western Rajasthan and the Thar Desert.
A princely railway
Jodhpur's railway was built by the state of Marwar (Jodhpur) itself, and its history mirrors the region's:
- 9 March 1885: the first train runs from Jodhpur to Luni, and the station opens.
- 1889: the Jodhpur Railway combines with the Bikaner State Railway to form the Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway.
- 1891: the line between Jodhpur and Bikaner is completed.
- 1900: the network is combined with the Jodhpur–Hyderabad Railway, which ran towards Hyderabad in Sindh.
- 1924: the Jodhpur and Bikaner railways begin working independently again.
- 1947: after Independence, part of the Jodhpur Railway falls in West Pakistan.
- 5 November 1951: the railway merges into the Western Railway.
- 1 October 2002: the North Western Railway zone is created and Jodhpur becomes a divisional headquarters.
The line to Pakistan
The old route through the desert towards Sindh was revived in 2006 as the Thar Express, which ran from Jodhpur's Bhagat Ki Kothi station to the border, where passengers changed to a Pakistani train for Karachi. The service was suspended in 2019.
Platforms and lines
There are 5 platforms on 7 tracks, at a height of roughly 241 metres. Lines from Jodhpur run to:
- Jaisalmer, deep in the Thar Desert
- Luni, the original 1885 section, towards Barmer and Ahmedabad
- Bathinda, northwards via Bikaner
- Jaipur and Delhi, eastwards
Who calls at Jodhpur
Jodhpur has Vande Bharat and express services to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai, and is a stop for the luxury Palace on Wheels on its tour of Rajasthan. Vande Bharat and express departures from Jodhpur are on our train schedule page.
Blue City pointers
- Jodhpur also has Bhagat Ki Kothi and Raika Bagh stations; some trains start or stop only there.
- Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada and the old city's blue houses are a short ride from the station.
- For Jaisalmer, overnight trains from Jodhpur are a popular option.