Ahmedabad – Somnath Vande Bharat Express (26901 / 26902)

Timetable last checked 12 November 2026 (data from 11 November 2026). Fares checked 12 November 2026.

Train summary

Which Somnath station? The Vande Bharat Express does not go to Somnath station. It ends at Veraval (VRL). The Gir Somnath district administration lists two main railway stations in the district, one at Veraval and one at Somnath. Source: Gir Somnath district, How to reach From Veraval you finish the trip to the Somnath temple by road, by auto-rickshaw or taxi. We could not find a distance from Veraval station to the temple on the Somnath Trust’s or the district’s own website, so we do not quote one; check a map app before you plan a tight return.

Which Ahmedabad station? The train starts at Sabarmati (SBIB), not at Ahmedabad Jn (ADI). IRCTC also lists Sabarmati Jn (SBT), which is a different code used by the Okha train, so search with SBIB. The first stop, Gandhigram (GG), is also in Ahmedabad and comes 16 minutes after Sabarmati, so it is the other boarding point inside the city. The Gujarat route list explains all five Ahmedabad stations that Vande Bharat trains use.

What kind of train this is

The Ahmedabad to Somnath Vande Bharat is a daytime Chair Car train. There are no berths, only reclining seats: CC has 3+2 seating and EC has wider 2+2 seats. See CC vs EC and the seat guide for layouts and window seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a Vande Bharat Express between Veraval and Ahmedabad on 26 May 2025, at an event at Dahod. Source: PIB Regional reports described it as the train connecting Ahmedabad with Somnath. Source: DeshGujarat

The route changed on 17 August 2026

Many pages that rank for this train still show its first route, through Viramgam, Surendranagar and Rajkot. That route ended in August 2026. Western Railway moved 26901/26902 to the line through Gandhigram, Botad and Jetalsar from 17 August 2026, after a Railway Board approval dated 8 June 2026, and Rajkot, Wankaner, Surendranagar and Viramgam are no longer stops. Source: DeshGujarat The timings also moved later: under the old route the train left Sabarmati at 05:25 and left Veraval at 14:45. Source: Business Today Chital, in Amreli district, was added as a stop from the same date. Source: DeshGujarat

So if you are going from Rajkot to Somnath, this train no longer serves you. Go by the tables below, not by older articles or videos, and check NTES or IRCTC for your date.

26901 Sabarmati to Veraval timetable

26902 Veraval to Sabarmati timetable

All stops are on the same day. For live running status, use NTES with train number 26901 or 26902.

The average speed works out to about 66 km/h on 26901 and 68 km/h on 26902, start to finish including halts. The slowest stretch on 26901 is the last one, Junagadh to Veraval: 82 km in 1 h 53 min. 26902 runs the same 82 km in 58 minutes, so the outbound timetable allows extra time on the final stretch into Veraval.

Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat boarding guide: every stop

Every stop below is a boarding and alighting point, and IRCTC sells tickets between any two of them. Times are scheduled; check live running on NTES on the day.

• Gandhigram (GG). 26901 arrives at 06:16 and leaves at 06:18, 16 min and 19 km after Sabarmati, with 6 h 37 min and 436 km still to go to Veraval. In the other direction, 26902 calls here at 21:55, 33 minutes before Sabarmati.
• Dholka (DOK). 26901 arrives at 06:50, 50 min and 64 km out of Sabarmati, with 6 h 3 min to go. 26902 calls here at 21:00.
• Dhandhuka (DCK). 26901 arrives at 07:35, 1 h 35 min and 127 km out, with 5 h 18 min to go. 26902 calls here at 20:10.
• Botad Jn (BTD). 26901 arrives at 08:20 and has the longest halt on the route, 5 minutes, leaving at 08:25. It is 174 km and 2 h 20 min from Sabarmati, with 4 h 30 min to go. 26902 calls here at 19:30 for 2 minutes.
• Dhola Jn (DLJ). 26901 arrives at 08:48, 2 h 48 min and 217 km out, with 4 h 5 min to go. 26902 calls here at 18:50.
• Dhasa Jn (DAS). 26901 arrives at 09:17, 3 h 17 min and 243 km out, with 3 h 36 min to go. 26902 calls here at 18:28.
• Chital (CTL). A one-minute halt: 26901 arrives at 09:43 and leaves at 09:44, 275 km out, with 3 h 11 min to go. 26902 calls here at 18:04. Be at the right part of the platform before the train comes in.
• Junagadh Jn (JND). 26901 arrives at 11:00, 5 h and 373 km out of Sabarmati, with 1 h 53 min and 82 km still to go to Veraval. 26902 leaves here at 16:50.

To board at an intermediate station, search from that station on IRCTC, or change the boarding point of an existing e-ticket once, up to the final chart. See the ticket change guide.

Vande Bharat Ahmedabad to Junagadh

Junagadh Jn is the last stop before Veraval. The same train works as an Ahmedabad–Junagadh Vande Bharat: 26901 gets you from Sabarmati to Junagadh in 5 hours, arriving 11:00, and 26902 brings you back from Junagadh at 16:50 to reach Sabarmati at 22:30. That gives 5 h 50 min in Junagadh on a day trip.

Can you go and return the same day by Vande Bharat?

• From Ahmedabad to Somnath: take 26901, which reaches Veraval at 12:55, and come back on 26902 at 15:50. That leaves 2 h 55 min at Veraval, and part of it goes on the road trip to the temple and back. It is enough for a short temple visit on an ordinary day, but a late arrival leaves very little time, so plan an overnight stay if you want an unhurried visit or are travelling on a festival day.
• From Veraval: you cannot do an Ahmedabad day trip on this train, because 26902 reaches Sabarmati at 22:30 and 26901 leaves Sabarmati the next morning.

Both trains must run on the same day, and neither runs on Thursday. The same-day return planner checks this for any pair of stations, and the running days checker confirms a date. For other temple towns on the Vande Bharat network, including Dwarka on the Okha train, see the pilgrimage trains guide.

Ahmedabad to Somnath Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are for one adult, General quota, with the meal, checked 12 November 2026. They are IRCTC fares as recorded by erail.in, and we kept a figure only where it agreed with erail’s own calculation from the official fare rules, so confirm on IRCTC before you pay. We could not confirm fares for shorter trips such as Sabarmati to Junagadh or Gandhigram to Veraval; check those station pairs on IRCTC. They cost less than the full Sabarmati–Veraval fare.

The return from Veraval costs ₹165 more in CC and ₹190 more in EC than the morning train, over the same 455 km. The base fare is set by distance and class: 1.4 times the Shatabdi base fare in CC and 1.3 times in EC, with reservation and superfast charges, GST and the optional meal on top. Source: PIB The gap between the two directions therefore sits in the charges added to the base fare, which IRCTC itemises in the fare breakdown when you book. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge on either train; see the food guide for what is served.

There is no dynamic fare on Vande Bharat trains, so the price does not rise as seats fill up. Source: PIB, February 2026 See how Vande Bharat ticket prices work or estimate a station pair with the fare calculator.

CC or EC to Somnath? On 26901, EC costs ₹1,040 more than CC. For a seven-hour daytime ride most travellers pick CC. EC is worth checking when CC is waitlisted, or for an older family member on a same-day return that adds up to more than 13 hours in the seat.

Booking the Vande Bharat train for Somnath

Booking for 26901 and 26902 opens on IRCTC 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For a journey on Monday 11 January 2027, booking opens on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 08:00. Do not pick a Thursday: the train does not run, and IRCTC will not show it. Find the opening date for your trip with the booking date calculator.

Search from SBIB, or from GG if Gandhigram is closer to you, to VRL. If CC is full, look at EC before taking a waiting-list ticket. A ticket still waitlisted when the chart is made is cancelled and refunded automatically, less ₹60 clerkage plus GST (₹63) per passenger.

Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station: the day before at Sabarmati for 26901, and the day before at Veraval for 26902. A confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund if you cancel. See the Tatkal guide.

The booking guide covers IRCTC step by step, including quotas, waiting lists and how to choose a seat.

Refund if you cancel an Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat ticket

The refund bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, so a passenger boarding 26901 at Gandhigram still works from the 06:00 departure from Sabarmati. For a confirmed ticket, per passenger, with 5% GST on the charge, using the 72, 24 and 8-hour bands the Ministry of Railways announced in March 2026:

• 26901 in CC (₹1,150): cancel more than 72 hours before and you get back about ₹961; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹848; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹546; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 26901 in EC (₹2,190): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,938; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,615; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,040; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 26902 in CC (₹1,315): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,126; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹970; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹625; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 26902 in EC (₹2,380): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,128; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,755; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,130; less than 8 hours, nothing.

IRCTC’s published refund rules still show the older 48, 12 and 4-hour cut-offs, so the IRCTC cancellation screen is final. The Vande Bharat cancellation charges guide explains both sets of bands, and the refund calculator and cancellation deadline tool give your own figure and clock times.

When is the chart prepared for the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat?

• 26901 leaves Sabarmati at 06:00, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 26902 leaves Veraval at 15:50, so its first chart is prepared by 05:50 on the day of travel (10 hours before departure).

On a same-day trip, you know your outward seat the night before, and the return chart is ready before you even board 26901. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Ahmedabad to Somnath Vande Bharat? Train 26901 leaves Sabarmati at 06:00 and reaches Veraval, the station for Somnath, at 12:55, a journey of 6 h 55 min.

What is the timing of the Somnath to Ahmedabad Vande Bharat? Train 26902 leaves Veraval at 15:50 and reaches Sabarmati at 22:30, a journey of 6 h 40 min.

Which Vande Bharat train goes to Somnath? Only one pair: 26901 from Sabarmati to Veraval, and 26902 back. It ends at Veraval, not at Somnath station.

On which day does the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat not run? Thursday, in both directions.

What is the Ahmedabad to Somnath Vande Bharat ticket price? ₹1,150 in CC and ₹2,190 in EC with the meal on 26901. The return 26902 is ₹1,315 in CC and ₹2,380 in EC (checked 12 November 2026; confirm on IRCTC).

Does the Vande Bharat Ahmedabad to Veraval leave from Ahmedabad Jn? No. It starts at Sabarmati (SBIB). You can also board at Gandhigram (GG) at 06:16.

Does the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat stop at Rajkot? Not any more. Since 17 August 2026 it runs via Botad and no longer calls at Rajkot, Wankaner, Surendranagar or Viramgam.

What are the stops of the Somnath Vande Bharat? Eight intermediate stops: Gandhigram (GG), Dholka (DOK), Dhandhuka (DCK), Botad Jn (BTD), Dhola Jn (DLJ), Dhasa Jn (DAS), Chital (CTL) and Junagadh Jn (JND), in reverse order on 26902.

Does the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat stop at Junagadh? Yes, at Junagadh Jn (JND): 11:00 towards Veraval and 16:48 towards Sabarmati.

Can I go from Ahmedabad to Somnath and back in one day by Vande Bharat? Yes, but it is tight. 26901 arrives at Veraval at 12:55 and 26902 leaves at 15:50, giving 2 h 55 min, including the road trip to the temple and back. Not on Thursday.

When does booking open for the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat Express? 60 days before the journey at 08:00 IST on IRCTC. For Monday 11 January 2027, it opens on Thursday 12 November 2026.

When is the chart prepared for 26901 and 26902? For 26901, which leaves at 06:00, by 20:00 the evening before. For 26902, which leaves at 15:50, by 05:50 on the day of travel.

When was the Ahmedabad Somnath Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off by the Prime Minister on 26 May 2025, and its route changed to run via Botad from 17 August 2026.

Related routes

• All Vande Bharat trains in Gujarat
• Vande Bharat trains for pilgrim towns
• Mumbai – Ahmedabad Vande Bharat
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 26901, erail 26902, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt 26901 and ConfirmTkt 26902, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against its fare calculation, 12 November 2026. Launch: PIB, DeshGujarat. Route change: DeshGujarat, Business Today, DeshGujarat on Chital. Stations in Gir Somnath: Gir Somnath district. Fare rules: PIB, PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.