Book your Haridwar Kumbh train as soon as the 60-day reservation window opens, choose from the eight stations the official Kumbh website lists in and around Haridwar, and check special trains only on NTES or IRCTC, not on forwarded lists.
Which stations serve the Haridwar Kumbh
The official Haridwar Kumbh 2027 website lists these as the main railway stations in and around Haridwar:
| Station | Code |
|---|---|
| Haridwar Junction | HW |
| Jwalapur | JWP |
| Motichur | MOTC |
| Raiwala Junction | RWL |
| Laksar Junction | LRJ |
| Roorkee | RK |
| Yog Nagari Rishikesh | YNRK |
| Rishikesh | RKSH |
Haridwar station is on Northern Railway. The district’s travel page says it has direct links to cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, but that page dates from 2019, so check your own train on NTES. The two Rishikesh stations matter if you stay in Rishikesh, where many of the hotels in the official stay directory are listed.
The official site does not yet say which station will serve which ghat, or how trains will run on the bathing days.
When booking opens
Since 1 November 2024, Indian Railways opens reserved bookings 60 days ahead, not counting the day of the journey. The official website lists eleven bathing days from 14 January to 20 April 2027, four of them Amrit Snans. If you want to arrive the day before, these are the opening dates by our count for four key days. IRCTC shows the exact opening date for each train, and all the bathing days are still provisional.
| Bathing day | Travel on | Booking opens (our count) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 14 Jan 2027, Makar Sankranti | Wed 13 Jan | Sat 14 Nov 2026 |
| Sat 6 Mar 2027, Mahashivratri, Amrit Snan | Fri 5 Mar | Mon 4 Jan 2027 |
| Mon 15 Mar 2027, Dev Doli, Amrit Snan | Sun 14 Mar | Wed 13 Jan 2027 |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027, Mesh Sankranti, main Amrit Snan | Tue 13 Apr | Fri 12 Feb 2027 |
Tatkal opens one day before the train leaves its starting station, at 10:00 for AC classes and 11:00 for non-AC classes. Since July 2025, only Aadhaar-authenticated users can book Tatkal on the IRCTC website and app, an Aadhaar-based OTP is needed online, and counter and agent bookings need an OTP sent to your mobile. Agents cannot book in the first 30 minutes. A Tatkal e-ticket carries at most four passengers, and the senior citizen concession does not apply to the Tatkal quota.
Special trains and the rush
For Maha Kumbh 2025 at Prayagraj, Indian Railways said it was introducing over 1,000 special trains and put more than 10,000 Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police personnel at key stations. For Haridwar 2027, no special trains were listed on the official pages we checked in October 2026.
When they are announced, they will show up on NTES, the National Train Enquiry System, which also lists live running, cancellations and diversions, and in IRCTC bookings. A train number in a forwarded message is not a booking.
Tips for the journey
- Plan to arrive the evening before a bathing day, not on the morning itself.
- Book a return you can change, since the bathing days are provisional.
- Write the PNR, train number and coach on paper, in case your phone dies.
- Agree a meeting point outside the station exit before you get off, and keep the group together on the platform.
- Follow station announcements and signs.
How to reach Haridwar Kumbh 2027 covers road and air. The Haridwar dates page shows the status of each bathing day, and our note on planning a train journey without an unconfirmed schedule explains how to keep the last stretch flexible.
Sources
- Plan Your Visit, Haridwar Kumbh 2027 · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- How to Reach Haridwar · District Haridwar, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Hotels directory: Registered Hotels (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Indian Railways cuts down Advance Reservation Period from current 120 days to 60 days w.e.f. 01.11.2024 · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Railways) ·
- Tatkal Ticket Booking Guide · Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Ministry of Railways ·
- Only Aadhaar authenticated user can book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC Website and App from July 1 · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Railways) ·
- National Train Enquiry System (NTES): trains between stations to Haridwar · Indian Railways (Centre for Railway Information Systems) ·
- Mahakumbh 2025: A Spectacle of Faith, Unity, and Tradition · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- Snan and Events: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
Photo: Tirth
Photo: DeeKayGangwar, CC BY-SA 4.0