The railhead is Kathgodam (KGM). The fastest direct train is the 12092 Kathgodam-Dehradun Jan Shatabdi, leaving KGM at 05:25 and reaching Dehradun (DDN) at 12:40 (7h15m, 5 days a week, not Wednesday or Friday). The 14119 Kathgodam-Dehradun Express leaves KGM at 19:55 and reaches DDN at 04:40 (8h45m, daily). erail lists 2 direct trains in all.
NDA coaching for Nainital students
Live and train in Dehradun, the home of the Indian Military Academy. Students from Nainital join residential NDA, CDS and SSB batches with hostel and mess on campus.
FromNainital
~294 km by road (estimate)
ToDehradun campus
For Nainital families
Everything that changes when you join from Nainital.
Local facts for families travelling to Dehradun: travel, exam centre and schools.
UTC lists Dehradun ISBT-Nainital via Rudrapur, and Nainital-Dehradun ISBT via Betalghat and via Ramnagar. Service class (ordinary, AC or Volvo) and timings are not verified, so check utconline.uk.gov.in.
Nainital is not a UPSC centre; the nearest NDA and CDS centre is Almora, about 31 km away in a straight line.
Nearest: Sainik School Ghorakhal (Uttarakhand), about 2 km in a straight line.
RIMC's admission page says one vacancy per State is generally allotted, with up to two for larger States, and its visible text gives no Uttarakhand figure. From the December 2026 cycle applications are online through NTA, the written test is held at NTA centres and the age window is 12½ to 14 years.
Sainik School Ghorakhal, Uttarakhand's school on the Sainik Schools Society list, is near Bhowali in the Nainital hills.
Sources & verification
Facts verified on October 12, 2026. Train times must be re-checked on IRCTC/NTES before travel; road distance and drive time are routing estimates.
- https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-NDA-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf
- https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-CDS-II-2026-Engl-200526.pdf
- https://rimc.edu.in/admission.aspx
- https://rimc.edu.in/notice.aspx
- https://www.sainikschoolsociety.in/our-schools
- https://www.sainikschoolsociety.in/our-schools/new-schools
- https://router.project-osrm.org/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nainital
- https://erail.in/rail/getTrains.aspx?Station_From=KGM&Station_To=DDN&DataSource=0&Language=0&Cache=true
- https://utconline.uk.gov.in/route.aspx
Admission
Four steps from enquiry to joining.
Counselling call
Tell us the class and the entry. We suggest the right batch and share the fee sheet on WhatsApp.
Campus visit or video tour
Visit the classrooms, hostel and mess, or ask for a live video tour if travelling is not possible yet.
Admission & documents
Fill the admission form, share the documents and pay the registration fee.
Joining day
Arrive in Dehradun; your room, kit list and timetable are ready on the first day.
Courses
What students from here join for.
NDA
National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA and NA) Examination
For students after Class 12. Unmarried women can sit the same UPSC examination.
NDA-F
NDA Foundation Course with Class 11-12 schooling, hostel and mess
For students who have passed Class 10 and want schooling and NDA preparation in one programme.
NDA-CRASH
NDA one-month crash course
A short revision batch for candidates who have already covered the syllabus.
CDS
Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination: IMA, INA, AFA and OTA
For graduates and final-year degree students. Women can apply for OTA.
CDS-F
CDS Foundation Course
A longer, foundation-style CDS programme for degree students who start early.
AFCAT
Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT)
For graduates aiming at commissioned entries in the Indian Air Force.
SSB
Services Selection Board (SSB) interview preparation
For candidates who have an SSB call-up or are close to one.
TES
Army 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme (TES) and Navy 10+2 B.Tech Cadet Entry: SSB preparation
These entries are shortlisted on JEE (Main) marks, so the coaching here is the SSB.
MNS
Military Nursing Service (MNS) B.Sc Nursing entrance preparation
For women who want to join the B.Sc Nursing course of the Military Nursing Service.
IMU
Indian Maritime University Common Entrance Test (IMU-CET)
For Class 12 students aiming at IMU programmes and a career at sea.
MERCHANT
Merchant Navy entrance preparation
For Class 12 students exploring Merchant Navy entries through IMU and shipping-sector routes.
RIMC
Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) entrance preparation
For students in Class VII who want admission to Class VIII at RIMC, Dehradun.
SAINIK
All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE) preparation
For students seeking Class VI or Class IX entry to a Sainik School.
RMS
Rashtriya Military Schools Common Entrance Test (RMS CET) preparation
For students aiming at Class VI or Class IX entry to a Rashtriya Military School.
AGNI
Agniveer (Army, Navy, Air Force) and Coast Guard entry preparation
For Class 10 and Class 12 candidates aiming at Agniveer and Coast Guard entries.
Questions from Nainital parents
Ask on WhatsAppHow far is Sainik School Ghorakhal from Nainital?
About 2 km in a straight line. It is near Bhowali in the Nainital hills and is Uttarakhand's school on the Society's list.
Which trains run to Dehradun for a Nainital student?
From Kathgodam, the railhead: the 12092 Jan Shatabdi (05:25 to 12:40, 7h15m, not on Wednesdays or Fridays) and the daily 14119 Express (19:55 to 04:40, 8h45m).
Which buses go from Nainital to Dehradun?
UTC lists Nainital to Dehradun ISBT services via Betalghat and via Ramnagar, and a Dehradun ISBT to Nainital service via Rudrapur. Check utconline.uk.gov.in for times.
Where is the nearest NDA exam centre for Nainital?
Almora, about 31 km away in a straight line. Nainital itself is not a centre.
How far is Nainital from the academy by road?
About 294 km, or roughly 4.9 hours with free-flowing traffic. A real journey usually takes longer than that estimate.
Admissions