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Book your ticket to Khandwa Junction (KNW). Omkareshwar Road (OM) has had no passenger trains since January 2023 while its line is rebuilt to broad gauge, and as of October 2026 the new station is finished but not open. Khandwa sits on the Mumbai–Itarsi trunk line, 70 km from the temple.
Omkareshwar Road is at Mortakka, about 12 km from the temple, on the old Indore–Mhow–Khandwa metre-gauge line. The Dr. Ambedkar Nagar–Omkareshwar Road passenger made its last run on 30 January 2023, and the line closed for gauge conversion.
The station has since been rebuilt for broad gauge. Western Railway's Ratlam division commissioned its electronic interlocking on 13 August 2026, after the Commissioner of Railway Safety had inspected the Sanawad–Omkareshwar Road track.
What is still missing is the one thing a Yatri needs: a train. No passenger service has been announced for the Sanawad–Omkareshwar Road stretch, and the full Indore–Khandwa line is targeted for 31 March 2028.
Khandwa Junction is on the Bhusawal–Itarsi section of the Mumbai–Howrah and Mumbai–Delhi routes, with 6 platforms and halts for most trunk-line trains.
From the Mumbai side, the halts fall in the early hours:
Punjab Mail (12137), CSMT → Firozpur: Khandwa 04:52–04:55
Mahanagari Express (22178): Khandwa around 01:40
Mumbai Mail (12321), Howrah → CSMT: Khandwa around 01:05
From Delhi, Bhopal and Jabalpur you come down the Itarsi line and reach Khandwa in the evening or at night. From Nagpur and Hyderabad, trains via Bhusawal or Itarsi also halt here.
Khandwa to the temple is about 70 km, 1.5–2 hours by car. Our distance, bus and taxi guide from Khandwa has every fare.
| Station | Distance to temple | Trains today | Onward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khandwa Jn (KNW) | ~70 km | Trunk-line expresses, all directions | Bus ₹140, MEMU ₹15 to Sanawad, taxi |
| Omkareshwar Road (OM) | ~12 km | None since Jan 2023 | — |
| Sanawad (SWD) | ~10–12 km | Only the Khandwa MEMU, 2 trips a day | Shared jeep, auto |
| Indore Jn (INDB) | ~77 km | Expresses from Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai; airport | Bus 2.5 hrs, taxi 2 hrs |
The table makes the choice plain. Sanawad is close but unreachable except from Khandwa. Indore is the right answer only if your train or flight already goes there.
Three ways, and the right one depends on your arrival time:
Bus from Khandwa bus stand, a short auto ride from the station. Non-AC seats from about ₹140, about 2 hours, last departures around 18:00–19:30.
MEMU 61139 to Sanawad, Khandwa 09:00 → Sanawad 10:30, fare ₹15; a second trip at 13:35. Shared jeeps cover the final 10–12 km. The last MEMU back leaves Sanawad at 15:30.
Taxi from the station gate, about 1.5–2 hours door to door, the only option for a 01:40 or 04:52 arrival.
The MEMU runs on the new broad gauge, restored in March 2024 and doubled to two trips in 2025. Some timetables show it skipping two midweek days, so check NTES.
The Shri Omkareshwar Temple Trust's daily schedule has two closures that catch train Yatris:
12:20–13:15: Madhyanha bhog, garbhagriha closed
16:00–16:30: Sayamkalin shringar, closed again
Darshan runs 05:00–12:20, 13:15–16:00 and 16:30–21:30
A Punjab Mail arrival at 04:52 plus a taxi has you at the ghat by 07:00. The 09:00 MEMU route lands you at the temple around 11:00, with time before the bhog closure. A midday arrival at Khandwa means planning for the 13:15 reopening.
Normal darshan is free; the trust sells an optional Shighra Darshan slot on its website, valid only for the slot you choose.
Coming from Mumbai, Nashik or Bhusawal: Khandwa, without hesitation. Trunk-line halts, 70 km, taxi or bus onward.
Coming from Delhi, Jaipur or Gujarat: Indore Junction or Indore airport. Omkareshwar is 77 km from Indore, and you can add Mahakal at Ujjain.
Coming from Bhopal or Jabalpur: either works; Khandwa via Itarsi is shorter by road to the temple.
Already in Khandwa district: the ₹15 MEMU to Sanawad is the bargain.
Avoid booking to Omkareshwar Road "to be close". A ticket to a station with no trains is a wasted ticket, and the reroute via Khandwa will cost you a day. Our list of first-time Omkareshwar planning mistakes covers the rest.
If your train reaches Khandwa after midnight, a room at Omkareshwar is the better night: a taxi has you there by 03:00 and you wake for the 04:30 mangal aarti. Rooms sit near the bus stand and the new bridge; weekends and Sawan fill early.
Khandwa itself has plain hotels near the station for Yatris with a dawn departure. Coming by air, our fly-to-Indore weekend plan covers the Indore side.
Book Khandwa, plan around the 12:20 bhog closure, and the rest is a two-hour drive along the Narmada. Har Har Mahadev.
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YATRA GUIDES
Walking distances, darshan timings, where to stay, and how to reach — every yatra question, answered.