If you search for Vrindavan railway station, you will find a station code, timetables and old advice about local trains from Mathura. It is a tidy picture, and it is out of date. The honest answer is that the branch line that once carried pilgrims the last eleven kilometres has been closed, and the station is shown as shut with it.
This guide tells you what we could confirm, how to reach Vrindavan by train today and what to ask when you book.
What the station was, and what happened
Vrindavan station, with the code BDB, sat at the end of a branch line from Mathura. Wikipedia describes the Mathura to Vrindavan branch as 11 km long, metre gauge, opened by the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway in 1889. The station had one platform and was run by North Central Railway under the Agra division.
The Mathura Junction page on Wikipedia says the line was temporarily closed on 17 March 2023 for conversion to broad gauge. The Vrindavan page lists the station as closed in 2023 with tracks dismantled. A press report of July 2025 describes local protest against a plan to replace the line with a road, and a Business Standard item reports the Railway Ministry dropping the conversion as uneconomical at an estimated Rs 402 crore. Sources differ on whether the closure was first temporary, and the exact date of the permanent decision is not clear to us.
For many pilgrims this closure is felt as a loss. The little train was a gentle way to arrive in Vrindavan, slow enough to see the fields and the Yamuna. Whatever one thinks, the practical result is that all visitors now arrive by road, and a good road arrangement is the heart of a calm arrival.
Distance and time
With the branch shut, the rail route to Vrindavan now is to travel to Mathura Junction and go on by road. From the junction the road to Vrindavan is about 12 km (sources say 10 to 15), and the drive takes 30 to 45 minutes. Our guide data gives about 13 to 14 km to Banke Bihari, and 12 km to ISKCON.
Route options and road conditions
The main road into Vrindavan from Mathura is a busy one that passes the Rangji Mandir area on its way into town. It slows in the evening and on festival days, and checkposts appear on Janmashtami and Holi. Allow extra time on those days and ask your driver which road is open.
Cab, train, bus: an honest comparison
A taxi from Mathura Junction is the easiest, especially with luggage and elders. A shared auto or e-rickshaw is cheaper; one listing quoted Rs 30 to 50 a seat, though no official fare backs it. Buses run between Mathura and Vrindavan, but we did not verify routes or times.
The long-distance trains that serve this region stop at Mathura. We have not verified which of them suit you, so check IRCTC. For travel from Delhi, the Taj Express is mentioned by Wikipedia as reaching Mathura from Hazrat Nizamuddin in about two hours, and the Bhopal Shatabdi also stops there; confirm the days and times.
If you are planning around a train you saw advertised, check the ticket carefully. A booking site that still lists Mathura to Vrindavan trains may be showing old data, and the IRCTC site and the station enquiry are the proper sources. Reading a ticket with care before you pay is the simplest way to avoid disappointment.
What a fair booking looks like
Book a driver who will meet you at the Mathura station exit with your name, quote the full fare for the car, with parking and waiting included, and agree a drop point. Share your train number so the driver can follow delays. Ask for a phone number you can call, and pay after the ride.
If you take a rickshaw, settle the price before you sit and hold your bag on your lap.
Arrival plan in Braj
Arrive and rest. If you reach Mathura in the morning, you may visit the Krishna Janmabhoomi, about 3.5 km from the station, leaving phones with your driver, before going on to Vrindavan. If you reach at night, go straight to your stay. The Laladham homestay, in Braj and a short walk from the temples and ghats, can be booked with a lala:Cab pickup at the station, so that the last stretch is not a decision. Confirm details and the exact location with the team.
A last practical suggestion: keep your onward arrangement in writing, with your train number, arrival time and the driver's phone number, and send it to your host as well. If the train is late, the driver and the host will know, and no one will be left waiting at a quiet platform.
Related guides
See our guides to the road from Mathura Junction, to Delhi and Vrindavan, and the e-rickshaw guide. If the railways announce any new line or service, we will update this page.
Questions, answered
Is Vrindavan railway station open?
Reported shut since 2023, along with the branch from Mathura.
Which station should I use for Vrindavan?
Mathura Junction, followed by a road ride of roughly 12 km.
Will the line be rebuilt?
A report says the conversion plan was dropped as uneconomical. Check for news.
How long from Mathura Junction to Vrindavan?
About 30 to 45 minutes by road, depending on traffic.
Timings, entry rules and fees change. Please confirm on the day with the temple or your driver.
- Current status of the Mathura to Vrindavan branch (closure dates differ by source)
- Whether any new service has started
- Train days and times to Mathura
- Taxi and shared-ride fares
- Bus routes
- Wikipedia: Vrindavan railway station
- Wikipedia: Mathura Junction railway station
- The Week/PTI, July 2025: protest against plan to replace the Mathura-Vrindavan railway line with a road
- lala:Cab guide data: distances from Mathura Junction
Walking this path soon?
If you would like a driver who knows the lanes and the timings, the lala:Cab app is there when you are ready. No advance, no pressure.