Delhi to Jaipur by Train: All Trains, Fares, Tatkal & Complete Food Guide

Four Delhi terminals feed into this route. On any given day, the number of trains is somewhere north of 35. Search “Delhi to Jaipur by train” cold and the booking page throws a wall of options at you, no obvious way to choose. Some trains finish the journey in under four hours. Others take six. Sleeper Class tickets start at ₹210. Executive Chair Car crosses ₹1,800 on premium services. 

Knowing which train matches your schedule and what the seat situation actually looks like before you commit saves a lot of back and forth. With RailMitra, checking seat availability becomes clear – no more uncertainty when picking a train. The tool reveals real-time openings, so choices feel informed rather than left to chance. Instead of hoping, travelers see actual seats ready for booking. Direct data comes from the system, removing uncertainty altogether.

Fastest Trains on the Delhi to Jaipur Route

Two services on this Delhi to Jaipur train route finish in under four hours. Everything else takes longer.

Vande Bharat Express (20978) Evening light fades slowly while Vande Bharat Express 20978 departs Delhi Cantt at 6:28 PM. The journey stretches toward Jaipur, arriving precisely at 10:05 PM. Three hours and thirty-seven minutes pass during the trip across northern plains. Light dims fully once the train moves beyond city edges. While frequent, it skips one day – no service appears every Wednesday. Though regular, weekly gaps shape its schedule. Once swift, yet halts every week without warning.

Vande Bharat Express (26482) Out of the same departure point, Vande Bharat Express (26482) sets off on its route. At 3:10 in the afternoon, departure happens. Arrival in Jaipur occurs at seven o’clock that evening – a travel duration of three hours and fifty minutes. Unlike the previous option, every single day this train runs without exception.

Both are semi-high-speed trainsets. Distributed traction, good ride quality, noticeably better than the older rolling stock on the same route.

Catering is optional on both. Chair Car passengers pay around ₹122 for breakfast, ₹222 for a meal. The menu is not fixed to a single rotation. It changes week to week, which matters if you are a frequent traveller on this stretch. The Executive Class gets a soup course added before the main. Chair Car does not. Dessert is moong dal halwa in winter, ice cream otherwise.

A ticket for a Chair Car seat aboard Vande Bharat begins at 1,060 rupees. Executive goes up to ₹1,855. Worth confirming running days on RailMitra’s Train Schedule before you book, since the Wednesday gap on 20978 is easy to miss.

Shatabdi and Rajdhani: The Other Premium Options

Both of these predate Vande Bharat on this corridor by decades. Both still fill up regularly.

Ajmer Shatabdi (12015) Leaving New Delhi at 06:10, Ajmer Shatabdi (12015) arrives in Jaipur by 10:35. This train takes four hours and twenty-five minutes. Morning departures make it a quick journey. Reaching mid-morning, it covers the route efficiently. If you are trying to get a full day in Rajasthan without losing the morning to travel, this one fits. All-AC service with Chair Car and Executive. There is a foreign tourist quota on this train, which gives international travellers a separate pool to draw from when booking.

Shatabdi punctuality on this route holds up reasonably well. December through February is the exception. Early winter fog often stops trains along this route. When skies are low, it makes sense to look up your train’s status on RailMitra before heading out – clarity begins there.

Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani (12958) Departing New Delhi at 19:55, Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani (12958) reaches Jaipur later that evening at 23:45. Dynamic pricing applies here. Book two months out and the fare is manageable. Book a week before Diwali and 1AC will have crossed ₹1,800. The main draw is the coupe seating in 1AC and 2AC. Even for a sub-four-hour journey, a lot of passengers prefer that over an open coach.

Double Decker and Garib Rath: Budget AC Options

JP AC Double Decker (12986) Leaving Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 5:35 PM, the JP AC Double Decker (12986) pulls into Jaipur by approximately 10:00 PM. Seating inside the Chair Car comes priced between ₹490 and ₹515. While slower by nearly 25 minutes when compared to Vande Bharat, its fare sits near just half of that service’s rate. While speed differs slightly, affordability stands out clearly here instead. This route brings in nearly ₹2 crore monthly for North Western Railway.

Luggage is where this train creates problems. The overhead racks are smaller than standard coach racks. A carry-on sized bag is fine. Anything bigger gets difficult fast. If your bag would need to go in the overhead bin on a flight, it will cause issues here. Traveling far? Take Shatabdi or Vande Bharat into account as these services offer real options when compared to regular travel methods.

BDTS Garib Rath (12215) Departing Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 08:55, BDTS Garib Rath (12215) reaches Jaipur by 13:25. Morning light still lingers as wheels begin to turn. Arrival comes close to midday quiet, yet not quite within it. Though early moments snap with freshness, the closing stretch hesitates before settling. Early motion defines the beginning; yet time softens toward a quiet halt. AC 3-Tier. The pricing is what attracts people, closer to Sleeper Class on other trains than AC 3-Tier on most. No standout features, just an affordable AC option with a midday arrival.

Morning Express Trains: Before 9 AM Departures

Six trains get you to Jaipur by early afternoon or sooner.

• 19702 Sainik Express: Delhi Cantt, 00:07. Jaipur 08:30. Longer route through Shekhawati.
• 19610 Udaipur Express: Old Delhi, 00:30. Jaipur 06:10. Arrives early enough that hotel check-in by late morning is realistic.
• 12414 Pooja SF Express: Old Delhi, 04:15. Arrives 09:30.
• 15014 Ranikhet Express / 25014 Corbett Park Link: Old Delhi, 04:30. Jaipur around 10:00.
• 20940 SLN SBIB SF Express / 20964 BSB SBIB Express: Old Delhi, 06:20. Around 11:00 arrival.
• 20938 DEE PBR Express: Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 08:10. Arrives 12:55.

On travel day, RailMitra’s Live train status shows current location for any of these.

Afternoon and Evening Express Trains: Post-Noon Departures

Afternoon and evening see most of these train services leaving, offering plenty of options when timing isn’t strict. While schedules stack up later in the day, freedom to shift plans opens more doors.

• 14662 Shalimar Malani Express: Old Delhi, 11:00. Arrives 17:35.
• 14321 BE Bhuj Express / 14311 Ala Hazrat Express: Old Delhi, 11:50. Arrives 17:50.
• 19602 NJP UDZ Express: Old Delhi, 12:20. Arrives 18:30.
• 19270 PBR Express: Old Delhi, 13:05. Arrives 18:15.
• 19566 Uttaranchal Express: New Delhi, 13:25. Arrives 18:30.
• 15715 Garib Nawaz Express: Old Delhi, 13:30. Arrives 18:30.
• 12916 Ashram Express: Old Delhi, 14:55. Arrives 20:15. No pantry car. Sort out food before boarding.
• 19338 DEE INDB Express / 20984 DEE Bhuj SF Express: Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 15:00. Arrives 19:30.
• 20488 Malani Express: Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 15:50. Arrives 20:45.
• 12249 Swarn Nagari Express: Delhi Cantt, 17:56. Arrives 22:30.
• 22995 Mandore Express: Old Delhi, 21:20. Arrives 02:25. A lot of people book this specifically to skip paying for a Delhi hotel night.
• 12463 Rajasthan Sampark Kranti: This train leaves from Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 21:25. Arrives at Jaipur by 01:30.
• 19032 Yoga Express: Leaves Old Delhi at 21:28. Arrives at Jaipur by 03:20. This train continues till Sabarmati. 

If you want to check all the intermediate stations between the routes of these trains, you can use RailMitra’s train schedule service.

Special and Seasonal Trains

These operate on fixed days or limited seasons only.

• 09610 UDZ Summer Special: Old Delhi, 00:30. Summer season only.
• 09426 HW SBIB Special: Old Delhi, 04:10. Seasonal.
• 20914 Rajkot Express: Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 13:20. Weekly.
• 09524 Okha Festival Special: Delhi Cantt, 13:42. Festival season.
• 22950 DEE BDTS SF Express: Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 16:15.
• 22986 Raj Hamsafar Express: New Delhi, 16:15.

Seasonal trains open without much advance notice and seats go quickly. Track your ticket confirmation on RailMitra’s PNR Status after booking.

Fares: What Each Class Actually Costs

Unlike other trains, Rajdhani Express ticket prices don’t remain static, they change with the demand. A Rajdhani train ticket bought 60 days before the departure and 10 days before departure won’t have the same price. Therefore it is best advised that for this train you book your ticket well in advance or 60 days before the date of train’s departure. 

Tatkal: Getting a Seat When Everything Is Full

AC class Tatkal opens at 10:00 AM, one day before departure from the origin. Non-AC is 11:00 AM. On Shatabdi and Vande Bharat, the window closes fast. Two minutes is generous. Often, the amount falls below average.

By ten, being ready counts more than speed at the hour. Outcomes bend toward those who prepare early. Rushing right at ten rarely fixes what morning effort prevents. Passenger details should already be in the Master List in your profile. Choose faster payment methods like UPI for payment. If you go on typing your card’s number, then you won’t be able to book the ticket. Use biometric authentication methods as these are faster than entering the password manually.

Premium Tatkal (PT) works on a different logic. It has its own separate seat quota and the fare increases in real time as seats are bought. On this corridor, PT for AC 3-Tier or Chair Car can end up at double the base fare. The reason it is still worth knowing about: PT often shows available seats when both general quota and standard Tatkal show waitlisted. Unsold PT seats get pushed into the waitlist pool around four hours before departure when the chart is prepared.

Another smart booking option is that instead of choosing the stations of Delhi and Jaipur, passengers can take a different station. Just choose another station that is close to these stations and you might be surprised by seeing some train seat options available for booking.

Food on the Delhi to Jaipur Route

Onboard Catering

Pre-book on Vande Bharat and the ₹50 surcharge for ordering onboard does not apply. Breakfast on the train is usually parathas or millet poori with subji. Midday heat brings chilled treats where hot sweets once stood. Though winter favors moong dal halwa, summer shifts preference toward icy options. Between lunch and dinner, chicken gives way to paneer, then returns again later. As chill fades, frozen versions climb back onto plates. Earlier warmth had pushed comforting bowls aside – now they return. What cooled one season now warms another. The executive gets soup before the main course.

Shatabdi includes meals in the fare. The food is standard railway catering, the kind that is acceptable but not something you plan around. What Shatabdi does have going for it is a cleaner track record on hygiene compared to most other trains on this route.

Ashram Express and Double Decker carry no pantry car. Both trains need pre-departure planning for food.

E-Catering at Jaipur Junction

RailMitra’s train food delivery service delivers from restaurant partners at Jaipur Junction to your seat. Dal Baati Churma is the obvious Rajasthani order, a substantial meal of baked wheat baatis with lentil soup and sweet churma. Order at least 90 minutes before reaching Jaipur. Pyaaz ki Kachori from Rawat is better as an evening snack. Ghewar for anyone who wants something local for dessert.

E-Catering at Alwar

Midway through their trip, Ashram Express travelers often pick up meals at Alwar: the key station for onboard dining. Located along this rail path, it marks a shift in flavors: richer North Indian dishes begin fading into bolder, hotter Rajasthani fare just beyond this stop. The Milk Cake here, locally called Kalakand, has a decent reputation and travels reasonably well.

Which Train to Pick

Leaving soon? That shifts everything – timing reshapes choices more than most expect. Spending less means trade-offs appear faster, often where least wanted. What fits in your bag weighs decisions down, sometimes literally. Each detail twists the result, never just one alone.

Starting quick? The Vande Bharat 20978 leaves Delhi Cantt by 18:28. Reaching Jaipur ahead of every other option here is its pace. Speedwise, none match it on this stretch.

Leaving Old Delhi just after midnight, the Udaipur Express (19610) marks the first rail journey toward Jaipur. Arriving around 06:10, it pulls onto a platform when dawn begins to break. This early service sets the pace for travel through northern India.

For air-conditioned travel at low cost, consider Garib Rath (12215). Priced below ₹520 in Chair Car, it handles luggage better than most. Then there is the Double Decker (12986), also affordable but tight on space. Because of the limited room upstairs, big bags become awkward. So comfort depends heavily on what you carry.

Privacy for even a short journey: Rajdhani (12958), 1AC or 2AC. Book early. The fare climbs.

Conclusion

Travelers heading from Delhi to Jaipur might find rail options suited to nearly any need. Surprisingly wide differences appear in cost, timing, besides departure spots across services. Many people overlook these variations when planning their trip. When demand spikes, weekends, holidays, the busyness of the route makes reserving ahead far wiser than hoping for open seats. RailMitra’s Train Seat Availability tool is the practical starting point before any booking decision. Once you are travelling, Live train status keeps you updated without having to ask anyone. Pick the train that matches your actual constraints, not the most famous one.