Indian Railways runs some genuinely extraordinary journeys — trains that cross the entire country in one unbroken run, and trains that stop so often they average under 40 km/h for two thousand kilometres. We pulled the halt-by-halt data for every long-distance train in our timetable database to find both extremes.
India’s longest train journey is the Vivek Express between Kanyakumari and Dibrugarh — about 4260 km across 57 halts, taking roughly three and a half days. The most halt-heavy service in our data is train 13007 between Howrah and Sri Ganganagar, with 112 scheduled stops.
The ten longest train journeys
Distance is the cumulative figure from each train’s originating station to its terminus, as recorded in the published timetable.
| # | Train | Route | Distance | Halts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15905 | Kanyakumari → Dibrugarh | 4260 km | 57 |
| 2 | 15906 | Dibrugarh → Kanyakumari | 4256 km | 58 |
| 3 | 12515 | Trivandrum Central → Silchar | 3932 km | 57 |
| 4 | 12507 | Trivandrum Central → Silchar | 3932 km | 58 |
| 5 | 12516 | Silchar → Trivandrum Central | 3930 km | 56 |
| 6 | 12508 | Silchar → Trivandrum Central | 3930 km | 56 |
| 7 | 16317 | Kanyakumari → Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra | 3769 km | 71 |
| 8 | 16318 | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra → Kanyakumari | 3765 km | 75 |
| 9 | 16687 | Mangalore Central → Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra | 3663 km | 63 |
| 10 | 16688 | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra → Mangalore Central | 3661 km | 67 |
The Vivek Express pair at the top is a deliberate piece of railway symbolism — introduced to link the north-east to Kanyakumari, and still the longest single-train journey on the network. Notice how the rest of the table clusters onto the same few diagonals: the north-east to the deep south, and Trivandrum to Silchar. There are only so many ways to cross India corner to corner.
The trains with the most stops
A different kind of record: the services that stop almost everywhere.
| # | Train | Route | Halts | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13007 | Howrah → Sri Ganganagar | 112 | 1949 km |
| 2 | 13049 | Howrah → Amritsar Jn | 111 | 1908 km |
| 3 | 13050 | Amritsar Jn → Howrah | 106 | 1909 km |
| 4 | 19019 | Bandra Terminus → Dehradun | 98 | 1676 km |
| 5 | 13352 | Alappuzha → Dhanbad Jn | 97 | 2534 km |
| 6 | 13152 | Jammu Tawi → Kolkata | 97 | 1979 km |
| 7 | 13351 | Dhanbad Jn → Alappuzha | 96 | 2535 km |
| 8 | 19020 | Dehradun → Bandra Terminus | 92 | 1678 km |
| 9 | 13120 | Anand Vihar → Sealdah | 91 | 1627 km |
| 10 | 11058 | Amritsar Jn → Cst-Mumbai | 91 | 2029 km |
Train 13007 makes 112 stops in 1949 km — a halt every 17 km on average. That is the real reason certain journeys feel interminable: not the distance, but the number of times the train has to stop, sit, and start again.
Why halts matter more than distance
Every halt costs far more than its dwell time. The train brakes from line speed, waits while passengers board, then accelerates a heavy loaded rake back up again — and that acceleration is slow. Ten extra halts can comfortably cost two hours.
Which is why, comparing two trains on the same corridor, halt count predicts the winner better than almost anything else. You can watch the effect directly on our route pages: on Delhi to Mumbai, the fastest train makes a handful of stops and the slowest many times that, over near-identical track.
How we compiled this
Figures come from the halt-by-halt schedules of the long-distance trains in our timetable database, using the cumulative distance at each train’s final stop and its count of scheduled halts. We include only standard five-digit Indian Railways train numbers.
Our database covers major express and long-distance services rather than every train on the network. So the most halts table reflects the most halt-heavy trains among those we cover — there are slower, more halt-heavy passenger services outside it. The longest journeys table, by contrast, contains the actual record holders, since India’s longest routes are all long-distance expresses.
To see the full stop-by-stop schedule for any train above, follow its number. For help reading those tables — particularly working out the arrival day on a three-day run — see how to read a time table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the longest train route in India?
The Vivek Express between Kanyakumari and Dibrugarh is India’s longest single train journey, covering about 4260 km with 57 scheduled halts. Trains 15905 and 15906 run it in opposite directions.
How long does India’s longest train journey take?
The Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express takes roughly three and a half days end to end, crossing the country diagonally from the far north-east to the southern tip. Exact running time varies with the timetable revision.
Which train in India has the most stops?
Among the trains in our database, 13007 between Howrah and Sri Ganganagar has the most scheduled halts at 112, over about 1949 km. High halt counts drag average speed down sharply.
Why do some long-distance trains take so much longer than others?
Halts are usually the explanation. Each stop costs deceleration, dwell time and acceleration back to line speed. A train with 100 halts over 1,900 km loses many hours against one covering the same distance with 15 halts.
Source and limitations: compiled from Indian Railways’ published timetable data. Distances and halt counts reflect the timetable as recorded and change with periodic revisions. Some station names appear abbreviated as recorded in the source dataset. Confirm current schedules on NTES or IRCTC. Last reviewed July 2026.