Travel Guide: Travelling from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi by trains

Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand and the hometown of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is quite far from Visakhapatnam (about 823 km) and the easiest, as well as the cheapest way to travel, is by rail. However, some choose the road/bus journey for the one-night sleep (around 15 hours) that makes an easy and quick trip to Ranchi. And finally, when it’s necessary to travel from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi in the nick of time, you can avail the air option. It might take you just a few hours but it can cost you a lot, especially if the tickets are booked at the last minute. While the train journey has no opportunity cost, here are a few trains that you can pick for your Visakhapatnam to Ranchi rail journey.

By rail, it takes about 14 hours 35 minutes for one to get from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi. It’s primary to note that there is only one train that runs from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi on a daily basis. The daily train leaves at 3:05 pm and reaches Ranchi on the next day at 8:40 am. There are about 3 weekly trains that you can pick from. The earliest train leaves as early as 3:15 am in the morning from Visakhapatnam.  During Covid-19 times, three special trains are being run between Visakhapatnam and Ranchi.

Here are some important trains from Visakhapatnam that you can travel on to Ranchi:

#1 Train no. 12836 Yesvantpur Jn Hatia Express leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 4:30 am and reaches Ranchi railway station at 7:05 pm on the next day, taking about 14 hours 35 minutes. This train runs on Thursdays and Saturdays in the week.  

#2 Train no. 22838 Dharti AABA Express leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 1:05 am and reaches Ranchi at 5:05 pm, taking 16 hours. This train runs only on Fridays in the week.

#3 Train no. 18638 Bengaluru Cantt Hatia Express leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 8:55 pm and reaches Ranchi at 12:55 pm, taking 16 hours. This train runs only on Thursdays in the week.

#4 Train no. 13352 Dhanbad Express leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 3:05 pm and reaches Ranchi at 8:40 am, taking 17 hours 35 minutes. This train runs all days of the week.

Other than these 4 trains, there are also 3 Covid-19 special trains that are being run from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi:

#1 Train no. 02836 Yesvantpur Junction Hatia Fest Special leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 3:15 am and reaches Ranchi at 5:40 pm, taking 14 hours 25 Minutes. This train runs all days of the week.

#2 Train no. 02410 Ernakulam – Hatia Dharti AABA AC SF Special leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 11:55 pm and reaches Ranchi at 2:35 pm, taking 14 hours 40 minutes. This train runs on Fridays in the week.

#3 Train no. 03352 Alleppey – Dhanbad special leaves Visakhapatnam railway station at 1:30 pm and reaches Ranchi at 5:20 am, taking 15 hours 50 minutes. This train runs all days of the week.

So, this is all the info you need to travel from Visakhapatnam to Ranchi by train. Wish you a safe journey!