Best Trains Between Delhi and Jaipur (Compared)

Delhi to Jaipur is one of the busiest short-haul routes on Indian Railways, and it shows in the options: a fast Shatabdi, an overnight Rajdhani, a slower express, and the famous double decker service. Which one is "best" depends entirely on what you're doing in Jaipur, a same-day trip, a weekend, or a longer stay.

The main trains on this route

Which is the fastest train from Delhi to Jaipur

Among the trains that actually run New Delhi to Jaipur, the Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani is the quickest at roughly 3 hours 50 minutes, though it runs in the evening and is built for onward overnight travel rather than a same-day Jaipur trip. For a daytime journey, the Ajmer Shatabdi at about 4 hours 25 minutes is the fastest practical option and the one most day-trippers use.

Is there a good same-day return option for a day trip

Yes, the Ajmer Shatabdi is built for exactly this. It leaves New Delhi early morning (06:10) and arrives Jaipur mid-morning (10:35), giving a full day in the city. The same train's Jaipur-to-Delhi counterpart (12016) leaves Jaipur at 17:35 and reaches New Delhi at 22:30, which is what makes this route one of India's most popular single-day rail trips: enough hours in Jaipur to see the major forts and the old city, then home the same night.

Which trains run the double decker service

The AC Double Decker Express (12986 from Delhi towards Jaipur, 12985 the return from Jaipur at 05:45) is the well-known double-decker service on this corridor, running between Jaipur and Delhi Sarai Rohilla. It is an AC chair car service and a favourite for the novelty of the upper deck views, though it runs to a different Delhi station than the Shatabdi and Rajdhani, so factor that into your onward city travel.

How early to book for a weekend trip

Delhi-Jaipur is a heavily travelled corridor for weekend leisure trips, business travel and pilgrimage traffic combined, so weekend chair car and AC seats move fast. Booking 2-3 weeks ahead is a safe window for a Friday or Sunday evening train; if you're flexible on exact timing, checking a slightly earlier or later train than the obvious popular one (early morning Shatabdi, Friday evening Rajdhani) often shows better availability.

Choosing by what you're doing in Jaipur

• Same-day trip: Ajmer Shatabdi out and back, giving about 7 hours in the city between the 10:35 arrival and the 17:35 return (12016, reaching New Delhi at 22:30).
• Weekend trip, arriving fresh Saturday morning: an early daytime express or the Shatabdi, so you're not adjusting from an overnight journey before a full sightseeing day.
• Weekend trip, wanting to save a hotel night: the Rajdhani leaves New Delhi at 19:55 but reaches Jaipur at 23:45, so on this 4-hour route it does not save a hotel night; it just gets you there the night before.
• Budget-focused travel: mail/express trains offer sleeper class at a lower fare (the Uttaranchal Express in the table runs only on Sundays, so check running days), useful if chair car pricing on the Shatabdi feels steep for a short hop.

What to see with a single Jaipur day

If you're doing the Shatabdi day trip, prioritise Amber Fort in the morning (it's outside the city centre and worth doing first, before the heat and crowds build), then the City Palace and Hawa Mahal in the old city for the afternoon, finishing with a walk through the bazaars near Johari Bazaar before heading back to the station. This order avoids backtracking and fits inside the roughly 7 hour window the Shatabdi gives you, if you keep it moving.

Booking and station notes

Check which Delhi station your train uses before booking: New Delhi (NDLS) for the Shatabdi and Rajdhani, Delhi Sarai Rohilla (DEE) for the Double Decker. Leave real transfer time if you're arriving into Delhi from elsewhere and connecting onto one of these, since the two stations are not close. For live seat availability and confirmation chances on any of these trains, use the Delhi to Jaipur trip planner, which also flags alternative trains if your first choice shows a waiting list.

Once you're in Jaipur, the Jaipur Jn live board is useful for checking your return train's status before you head back to the station, especially in winter when fog can delay morning departures out of Delhi and cascade through the day's schedule.

What each class actually costs you in comfort

The Shatabdi's chair car offers optional catering you can choose at booking and a more comfortable reclining seat than a general express, which is the main reason it costs noticeably more than the Uttaranchal Express for the same route. The Rajdhani's 3A sleeper berths are meant for the onward overnight leg past Jaipur, so booking it just for the Delhi-Jaipur segment is really paying for a longer journey's comfort on a short hop. The Double Decker sits between the two: AC chair car comfort at a lower fare than the Shatabdi, with the trade-off of a different Delhi station and a schedule that can be less convenient depending on your plans.

Fog delays in winter

December and January bring dense fog to the Delhi-Jaipur corridor most mornings, and even fast trains like the Shatabdi can run late by an hour or more on the worst days. If you're planning a winter day trip, check the live running status before leaving home rather than assuming the printed timetable will hold, since a delayed morning departure eats directly into your sightseeing window in Jaipur.