A railway time table is a dense little document, and most of the confusion it causes comes down to one thing it does not print: the day you actually arrive. Here is how to read every column properly, and how to work out the missing piece yourself.
Times are on the 24-hour clock. The halt is departure minus arrival. The distance column is cumulative from the origin, not from the previous stop. And if the arrival time is earlier on the clock than the departure time, the train has crossed midnight at least once — on long routes, possibly twice.
What each column is telling you
| Column | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Arr | Booked arrival at that station, 24-hour clock. At the originating station this matches the departure, because the train starts there. |
| Dep | Booked departure. The difference from Arr is the halt — usually two to five minutes at a minor stop, and ten to twenty at a major junction where the engine, crew or water is changed. |
| Km | Cumulative distance from the originating station. For the distance between two stops, subtract one figure from the other. |
| Code | The station code. This is the reliable identifier — station names are often abbreviated in timetable data, but codes are not. |
Working out the arrival day
This is the part that catches travellers out, because a timetable prints clock times without telling you how many nights have passed.
The method is simple. Take the departure time, take the arrival time, and ask how long the journey is. If the arrival clock reading is earlier than the departure clock reading, at least one midnight has been crossed. Then sanity-check against the distance: a long-distance express averages somewhere in the region of 50 to 60 km/h once halts are included, so a 3,000 km run is going to take well over two days regardless of what the two clock readings suggest.
Take a real example from our schedules. Train 16688 from Katra to Mangalore departs at 21:55 and arrives at 22:45 — which looks like an overnight run until you notice it covers about 3,661 km across 67 stops. That is a journey of more than two days, and the arrival is several calendar days after the departure date printed on your ticket. Anyone booking a connecting journey off that arrival time without checking the distance is going to get a nasty surprise.
Two practical consequences:
- Your ticket shows the departure date, not the arrival date. For multi-day journeys, count the days yourself before booking anything at the other end.
- A train that departs after midnight belongs to the previous day’s service. If your train leaves at 00:40 on the 12th, the service started on the 11th — which matters for Tatkal timing and for knowing which day’s chart you are on.
Why the same train has two numbers
Services run in pairs, numbered consecutively — 16687 one way, 16688 the other. By convention the two directions take the odd and even number respectively. The pair usually mirrors the same route, but the schedules are rarely a perfect reflection: halt times, overnight positioning and total running time often differ between the up and down services, so always read the schedule for the exact number you are travelling on rather than assuming.
Booked timings are not live timings
Everything in a time table is a booked timing: the schedule the train is meant to keep. Actual running varies with traffic, weather, maintenance blocks and season. Long-distance trains also carry deliberate slack in the final stretch, which is why a train running an hour late for most of its journey can still reach the terminus close to time.
Plan with the time table; travel with live status. On the day itself, use NTES ‘Spot Your Train’ with your train number, and check your PNR status if your booking has not confirmed.
- Halt = Dep minus Arr. Distance is cumulative, so subtract to get a leg.
- Arrival time earlier than departure time means a midnight has passed — check the distance to see how many.
- Your ticket carries the departure date only. Count arrival days yourself on long runs.
- Read the schedule for your exact train number, not its paired service.
- Confirm on NTES on the day. A timetable is a plan, not a promise.
You can browse the full stop-by-stop schedule for individual trains in our train time table index, or start from a boarding point in the station guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which day my train arrives?
Compare the arrival time with the departure time and the length of the journey. If the arrival clock time is earlier than the departure clock time, the train has crossed at least one midnight. For long-distance trains covering two or three thousand kilometres, the arrival can be two or three calendar days after departure, so work from the total journey duration rather than the clock alone.
What does the halt time in a time table mean?
The halt is the gap between the booked arrival and booked departure at a station — a train arriving at 14:20 and departing at 14:25 has a five-minute halt. At the originating station the arrival and departure are the same, because the train starts there.
Why do the distances in a time table keep increasing?
The distance column is cumulative from the originating station, not the distance from the previous stop. To find the distance between two stations, subtract the smaller figure from the larger one.
Why do trains have odd and even numbers in pairs?
A train and its return service are usually numbered consecutively, such as 16687 and 16688. By convention one direction takes the odd number and the return takes the even one, which is why the same named service appears twice with slightly different schedules and stop patterns.
Are time table timings the same as live running times?
No. A time table shows booked timings, which is what the train is scheduled to do. Actual running can differ substantially. Use NTES ‘Spot Your Train’ for live status on the day you travel.
Source and limitations: compiled from Indian Railways’ published timetable data. Average speeds quoted are general guidance for working out journey length, not figures for any specific train. Schedules are revised periodically — confirm current timings on NTES or IRCTC before you travel. Last reviewed July 2026.