Trains to Dehradun: the Delhi to Dehradun Vande Bharat, the Shatabdi and the long-distance trains

Before you book

We don’t list times or running days on this page. They change, and an old timetable is worse than none. For each train below, look up the current schedule and live running on NTES, Indian Railways’ own enquiry site, and book on IRCTC. Search for the station code DDN, or HW if you are getting off at Haridwar.

Two things trip people up. First, some trains called “Doon” or “Dehradun” Express no longer come to Dehradun at all. Second, the line is single-ended: everything reaches Dehradun through Haridwar, so if a train is late at Haridwar it is late here too.

From Delhi: Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and the overnight train

Delhi has the most choice. The Vande Bharat starts from Anand Vihar Terminal in east Delhi, which suits people coming from Noida, Ghaziabad or east Delhi. The Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi start from New Delhi station. The Mussoorie Express is the overnight option.

The Delhi to Dehradun Vande Bharat is a chair-car train: AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car, no berths. The Anand Vihar route is about 300 km. If you are deciding between the train and the new expressway, our Delhi to Dehradun page compares road, rail, bus and air.

One change to watch: the Railway Minister told the Lok Sabha on 18 March 2026 that the new Deoband–Roorkee line is complete and will cut the rail distance between Delhi and Dehradun by about 40 km. Whether and when Delhi trains are moved onto it is something to check on NTES, not something we can promise.

From Lucknow and Kanpur

Lucknow has its own Vande Bharat, 22545 / 22546, which began commercial runs on 26 March 2024. It starts at Lucknow Junction (code LJN), not Lucknow Charbagh (LKO), so check the station code on your ticket. It runs via Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Najibabad and Haridwar, about 545 km in all. It is a day train with chair-car seats only. The Doon Express also passes through Lucknow, but read the Kolkata section below before you book it.

Kanpur has no Kanpur–Dehradun train on the Minister’s list. The one to look at is the Subedarganj–Dehradun Express, 14113 / 14114, which starts in Prayagraj. The timetable on erail shows it calling at Kanpur Central, then running via Etawah, Aligarh, Moradabad and Haridwar to Dehradun, overnight, with sleeper and AC berths. Confirm the stops on NTES before you book.

From Kolkata: the Doon Express and two that come all the way

The Doon Express, 13009 / 13010, is the train people from Kolkata still ask us about. It has run from Howrah since 1901. But today it runs from Howrah to Yog Nagari Rishikesh, not to Dehradun. Its route passes through Haridwar, so that is where you get off for Dehradun.

If you want a train from Howrah that does end in Dehradun, the Railway Minister’s December 2025 list has two: the Upasana Express and the Kumbha Express.

From Mumbai: the Bandra trains stop at Haridwar

The 19019 / 19020 is still called the Dehradun Express on many sites and boards, and it once did run to Dehradun. It now runs between Bandra Terminus and Haridwar. Several booking sites still show it reaching DDN, so go by what NTES and IRCTC show when you search. The Railway Minister’s list also has a second Bandra–Haridwar train and one from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

Getting off at Haridwar instead

Haridwar is about 50 km before Dehradun on the same line, and it has far more trains: 88 services against Dehradun’s 36, by the Minister’s count. So it is worth searching for HW as well as DDN, especially from the west and the south.

From Haridwar you have three ways on:

• A Dehradun-bound train. Every train on our lists above that ends at Dehradun passes through Haridwar first. Check NTES for one that fits.
• A bus. Uttarakhand Transport Corporation runs the state buses; look up Haridwar–Dehradun routes on UTC Online.
• A taxi. Simplest with luggage or children. Agree the fare before you set off.

Haridwar can also be a stop rather than a change. If you are getting off there anyway, the Ganga aarti is worth an evening; our Haridwar page has the details. Just don’t plan a busy evening there after a day and a night on a train.

At Dehradun station

Dehradun station opened in 1899, and the line from Haridwar on 1 March 1900. There were plans to carry it on up to Mussoorie, including a tramway in the 1920s, but it was never finished. So Dehradun is still the railhead for Mussoorie and the hills beyond: from here everything goes by road. The station is about 5 km from the ISBT (the main bus stand) and about 25 km from Jolly Grant Airport, measured as Wikipedia gives it (checked 1 November 2026).

Station works can change things at short notice. Times of India reported that for track, bridge and signalling work around 7 to 10 December 2025, some Dehradun trains were cancelled and others, including the Shatabdi, ended at Haridwar. The station was also shut for three months in 2019–20 for remodelling. With Amrit Bharat redevelopment now planned at both Dehradun and Haridwar, look at NTES the day before you travel.

What we tell guests coming by train

• Match your arrival to check-in. Check-in is from 2 pm. Look at your train’s arrival time on NTES before you book, and if it gets in well before that, plan the morning around it.
• Send us your train number. We live ten minutes away and meet guests at the gate, so it helps to know which train you’re on and whether it’s running late. Tell us if you’re getting off at Haridwar.
• Watch for fog in winter. IMD’s report on Dehradun’s climate says dense, prolonged fog in winter causes severe disruption of air, rail and road traffic, and the plains your train crosses get it too. Check running status on NTES on the morning you travel, and keep the first evening free.
• Book early for long weekends and the holidays. Booking opens 60 days ahead, and seats around Christmas (Friday 25 December 2026) and New Year can go early. For trips in late February, booking opens in late December.
• Save the hills for the next day. After a long train, an evening in the courtyard or the living room is better than heading straight up to Mussoorie.

Fyonli Nest has two bedrooms, a green room and a red room, both with king beds, a full kitchen and heaters in winter. It sleeps 4 adults, or up to 6 guests with children aged 2–12. See the house and check your dates.

Sources: Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1763 (10 December 2025): trains serving Haridwar and Dehradun; Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 4167 (18 March 2026): railway projects for Uttarakhand; Garhwal Post (10 December 2025) on the December reply; PIB Dehradun (19 March 2026): rail projects and new trains in Uttarakhand; PIB (17 October 2024): advance reservation period reduced to 60 days; PIB (11 June 2025): Aadhaar authentication for Tatkal; Times of India (5 December 2025): Dehradun trains affected 7–10 December; IMD: Climate of Dehra Dun; erail: 14113 route via Kanpur Central; Dehradun railway station, Wikipedia; Doon Express, Wikipedia; Bandra Terminus–Haridwar Express, Wikipedia; Lucknow–Dehradun Vande Bharat, Wikipedia; Dehradun–Anand Vihar Vande Bharat, Wikipedia; Nanda Devi Express, Wikipedia; NTES; IRCTC; UTC Online.