Ajmer – Chandigarh Vande Bharat Express (20977 / 20978)

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

Train summary

One train, three trips. This Vande Bharat train is the only one that links Ajmer and Jaipur with Delhi and Chandigarh in a single run, so most people on board are not going end to end. It works as a Jaipur–Delhi train, a Delhi–Chandigarh train, an Ajmer–Jaipur train and a Rajasthan–Haryana link through Alwar, Rewari and Gurgaon.

Delhi station: the train stops at Delhi Cantt (DEC), not New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin. Gurgaon (GGN), 17 km earlier towards Ajmer, is often easier for Gurugram and south-west Delhi.

What kind of train this is

The Ajmer to Chandigarh Vande Bharat Express is a daytime Chair Car train with reclining seats and no berths. 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.

It started as Rajasthan’s first Vande Bharat Express. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged it off by video link on 12 April 2023 as an Ajmer–Delhi Cantt service, with regular runs from 13 April 2023 and stops at Jaipur, Alwar and Gurugram. Source: ThePrint From 14 March 2024 it was extended beyond Delhi Cantt to Chandigarh, giving Rewari and Gurugram a direct train to Chandigarh; before that, people there went via Delhi or by bus. Source: The Tribune

Older articles show the March 2024 timings, with 20977 leaving Ajmer at 06:20 and 20978 reaching Ajmer at 23:55. Source: The Tribune Today 20977 leaves at 06:10 and 20978 arrives at 23:58, so go by the tables below.

20977 Ajmer to Chandigarh timetable

20978 Chandigarh to Ajmer timetable

All stops are on the same day. The longest halts, 5 minutes, are at Jaipur and Delhi Cantt; every other stop is 2 or 3 minutes, so be at the door with your bags before the train pulls in.

20977 train running status

For live running status, enter 20977 or 20978 on NTES, the Indian Railways enquiry service. Because 20977 starts at 06:10 and covers 700 km, a delay picked up between Ajmer and Delhi carries on to Ambala and Chandigarh. There are only 30 minutes between the scheduled arrival of 20977 at Chandigarh (14:45) and the departure of 20978 (15:15). If you are catching 20978 at Delhi Cantt, Jaipur or Ajmer in the evening, check NTES before leaving home.

Vande Bharat Jaipur to Delhi and Jaipur to Chandigarh

Jaipur to Delhi. 20977 leaves Jaipur (JP) at 07:47 and reaches Delhi Cantt at 11:30, 3 h 43 min for 293 km. Coming back, 20978 leaves Delhi Cantt at 18:28 and reaches Jaipur at 22:05, 3 h 37 min. You can also board at Gandhinagar Jaipur (GADJ), a separate station on the Delhi side of the city: 20977 calls there at 07:53, six minutes after Jaipur Jn, and 20978 at 21:53, twelve minutes before it. Pick whichever is closer when you book.

Jaipur to Chandigarh. There is no need to change in Delhi. 20977 leaves Jaipur at 07:47 and reaches Chandigarh at 14:45, 6 h 58 min for 565 km. In the other direction, 20978 leaves Chandigarh at 15:15 and reaches Jaipur at 22:05, 6 h 50 min.

Ajmer to Delhi and Jaipur. From Ajmer, 20977 reaches Jaipur in 1 h 32 min (07:42) and Delhi Cantt in 5 h 20 min (11:30). Kishangarh, 26 km from Ajmer, is the first stop.

Delhi to Chandigarh. 20977 leaves Delhi Cantt at 11:35 and reaches Chandigarh at 14:45, 3 h 10 min. 20978 leaves Chandigarh at 15:15 and reaches Delhi Cantt at 18:23, 3 h 8 min.

For other Vande Bharat options on these pairs, see all Vande Bharat trains in Rajasthan and all Vande Bharat trains from Delhi. The trains between stations tool lists every train for your pair.

Ajmer Chandigarh 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 the scheduled times for 20977 first, then 20978.

• Kishangarh (KSG). 20977 arrives at 06:30, 20 min and 26 km out of Ajmer, with 8 h 13 min still to go to Chandigarh. 20978 calls here at 23:18, the last stop before Ajmer.
• Jaipur (JP). 20977 arrives at 07:42 and leaves at 07:47, 1 h 32 min and 135 km out of Ajmer. 20978 calls at 22:05.
• Gandhinagar Jaipur (GADJ). 20977 arrives at 07:53, 141 km out of Ajmer. 20978 calls at 21:53.
• Alwar (AWR). 20977 arrives at 09:27, 3 h 17 min and 286 km out of Ajmer, with 5 h 15 min still to go. 20978 calls at 20:22.
• Rewari (RE). 20977 arrives at 10:23, 360 km out of Ajmer. 20978 calls at 19:40.
• Gurgaon (GGN). 20977 arrives at 11:04, 4 h 54 min out of Ajmer. 20978 calls at 18:50.
• Delhi Cantt (DEC). 20977 arrives at 11:30 and leaves at 11:35, 5 h 20 min and 428 km out of Ajmer, with 3 h 10 min still to go. 20978 calls at 18:23.
• Ambala Cantt Jn (UMB). 20977 arrives at 14:03, 40 min and 68 km before Chandigarh. 20978 calls at 15:53.

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.

Can you go and return the same day?

Only on some legs. The end-to-end trip does not work as a day out: 20977 reaches Chandigarh at 14:45 and 20978 leaves at 15:15, just 30 minutes later.

• Jaipur to Delhi and back: 20977 reaches Delhi Cantt at 11:30, and 20978 leaves at 18:28. That gives 6 h 58 min in Delhi, and you are back in Jaipur at 22:05.
• Alwar to Delhi and back: 20977 reaches Delhi Cantt at 11:30, and 20978 has you back in Alwar at 20:22, also 6 h 58 min in Delhi.
• Delhi to Ambala and back: 20977 reaches Ambala Cantt at 14:03 and 20978 leaves at 15:55, which leaves 1 h 52 min.
• From Chandigarh or Delhi towards Rajasthan: not possible on this pair, because 20978 runs south in the evening and 20977 runs north the next morning.

Neither train runs on Wednesday. The same-day return planner checks any pair of stations, and the running days checker confirms a date.

Ajmer to Chandigarh 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.

Jaipur to Delhi, Jaipur to Chandigarh and Delhi to Chandigarh fares: we could not confirm these station-pair fares, so check them on IRCTC. They are lower than the full Ajmer–Chandigarh fare, because the base fare is set by distance and class.

The southbound 20978 costs ₹55 less in CC and ₹50 less in EC than 20977 over almost the same distance. The base fare is the same for the same distance and class, so the gap most likely comes from the catering charge, which differs between the morning and evening services and is shown in IRCTC’s fare breakdown. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge. See the food guide for what is served.

The fare is built from a base fare (1.4 times Shatabdi in CC and 1.3 times in EC), reservation and superfast charges, GST and the optional meal. Source: PIB There is no dynamic fare, 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? On the full run, EC costs ₹1,450 more than CC on 20977 and ₹1,455 more on 20978. For a short hop such as Jaipur to Delhi, CC is the usual choice; EC is worth checking when CC is waitlisted.

Booking the Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat train

Booking for 20977 and 20978 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 Wednesday: the train does not run, and IRCTC will not show it. Find the opening date with the booking date calculator.

Search from your own boarding station, such as Jaipur or Delhi Cantt, rather than from Ajmer, because availability is shown for the station pair you search. 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 Ajmer for 20977, and the day before at Chandigarh for 20978. A confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund if you cancel. See the Tatkal guide and the booking guide for IRCTC step by step.

Refund if you cancel an Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat ticket

The refund bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, so a passenger boarding 20977 at Delhi Cantt still works from the 06:10 departure from Ajmer. For a confirmed ticket on the full route, per passenger, with 5% GST on the charge, using the 72, 24 and 8-hour bands the Ministry of Railways announced in March 2026:

• 20977 in CC (₹1,750): cancel more than 72 hours before and you get back about ₹1,561; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹1,291; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹831; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20977 in EC (₹3,200): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,948; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹2,360; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,520; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 20978 in CC (₹1,695): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,506; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,250; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹805; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 20978 in EC (₹3,150): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,898; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹2,323; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,496; 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 Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat?

• 20977 leaves Ajmer at 06:10, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20978 leaves Chandigarh at 15:15, so its first chart is prepared by 05:15 on the day of travel (10 hours before departure).

The chart is made for the whole train from its first station, so a Jaipur or Delhi Cantt passenger gets a seat number at the same time. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Ajmer to Chandigarh Vande Bharat? Train 20977 leaves Ajmer Jn at 06:10 and reaches Chandigarh at 14:45, a journey of 8 h 35 min.

What is the timing of the Chandigarh to Ajmer Vande Bharat? Train 20978 leaves Chandigarh at 15:15 and reaches Ajmer Jn at 23:58, a journey of 8 h 43 min.

On which day does the Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat not run? Wednesday, in both directions.

Does the Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat stop at Jaipur? Yes, at Jaipur (JP) at 07:42 towards Chandigarh and 22:05 towards Ajmer, and also at Gandhinagar Jaipur (GADJ).

What is the Vande Bharat Jaipur to Delhi timing? 20977 leaves Jaipur at 07:47 and reaches Delhi Cantt at 11:30. 20978 leaves Delhi Cantt at 18:28 and reaches Jaipur at 22:05.

Does this Vande Bharat go to New Delhi station? No. Its Delhi stop is Delhi Cantt (DEC). It also stops at Gurgaon (GGN).

What is the Ajmer to Chandigarh Vande Bharat ticket price? ₹1,750 in CC and ₹3,200 in EC with the meal on 20977. The return 20978 is ₹1,695 in CC and ₹3,150 in EC (checked 12 November 2026; confirm on IRCTC).

What are the stops of the Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat? Eight intermediate stops: Kishangarh, Jaipur, Gandhinagar Jaipur, Alwar, Rewari, Gurgaon, Delhi Cantt and Ambala Cantt Jn, in reverse order on 20978.

How do I check the 20977 train running status? Enter 20977 on NTES. For the return, use 20978.

Can I travel from Jaipur to Delhi and back in one day? Yes, except on Wednesday. 20977 reaches Delhi Cantt at 11:30 and 20978 leaves at 18:28, giving 6 h 58 min in Delhi.

When was the Ajmer Chandigarh Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off on 12 April 2023 as the Ajmer–Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat, Rajasthan’s first, and extended to Chandigarh from 14 March 2024.

When does booking open for the Ajmer Chandigarh 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 20977 and 20978? For 20977, which leaves at 06:10, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20978, which leaves at 15:15, by 05:15 on the day of travel.

Related routes

• All Vande Bharat trains in Rajasthan
• All Vande Bharat trains from Delhi
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 20977, erail 20978, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt 20977 and ConfirmTkt 20978, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against its fare calculation, 12 November 2026. Launch: ThePrint. Extension to Chandigarh and 2024 timings: The Tribune. Fare rules: PIB, PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.