Indian Railways starts new weekly train connecting Nepal's Janakpur Dham to Ayodhya

Indian Railways will run a new weekly train service linking Janakpur Dham in Nepal with Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The Ministry of Railways announced the service on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The route connects two places tied to the Ramayana tradition, as Janakpur Dham is the birthplace of Mata Sita and Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Route Details

The total journey covers about 604 kilometres through various towns and cities across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The train will run once every week. It will start its journey from Janakpur Dham on Saturdays and from Ayodhya Cantt on Mondays. Along the way, the train will stop at Jaynagar, Madhubani, Shisho, Sitamarhi, Raxaul, Narkatiaganj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Mankapur, and Ayodhya Dham, in addition to its terminal stations.

Context

India and Nepal share long-standing cultural, historical, and social ties built on shared religious traditions and cross-border community bonds. Officials hope this new rail link will strengthen bilateral cooperation and bring the two communities closer together. Both nations previously discussed cross-border railway passenger services on this section in June of this year.