The Northern Railway is introducing a new experimental halt for the popular Nanda Devi Express connecting Dehradun and Kota. Railway passengers travelling along this key route will soon benefit from improved regional connectivity following administrative orders issued by the Railway Board. Train numbers 12401 and 12402 will officially begin stopping at Deoband Railway Station starting September 10, 2026. This crucial decision comes after local representations were made to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw by regional MLA and Minister of State Kunwar Brijesh Singh. Senior railway officials including Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Mahesh Yadav and Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay have confirmed the rollout of these formal orders. Local residents and daily commuters along the Deoband-Roorkee railway line are expected to experience significant travel convenience from this update.
According to the newly released official schedule,
the Nanda Devi Express will observe a precise two-minute stoppage at Deoband Railway Station in both directions. For passengers boarding train number 12401 operating from Kota to Dehradun, the service is scheduled to arrive at Deoband at 1:45 AM and depart promptly at 1:47 AM. Meanwhile, the return service operating as train number 12402 from Dehradun to Kota will arrive at 2:25 AM and resume its journey at 2:27 AM. Deoband Station Superintendent Anil Kumar highlighted that this new stoppage addresses a long-standing demand for local residents who previously lacked direct access to this train service. This development adds to the utility of the Deoband-Roorkee railway line, an infrastructure project valued at approximately 1,000 crore rupees that was successfully completed over a year ago.
In addition to the changes for the Nanda Devi Express,
Northern Railway has scheduled new experimental halts for the Delhi-Haridwar Express operating with train numbers 14303 and 14304. These additional stops will be introduced at Sakoti Tanda and Rohana Kalan stations, with implementation slated to take effect immediately following on September 11, 2026. These progressive schedule updates reflect the ongoing efforts by Indian Railways to optimize regional connectivity and enhance the overall travel experience for passengers across smaller stations.
