Indian Railways has introduced a wide range of festival special train services across key routes to manage the heavy holiday travel rush expected during Gandhi Jayanti, Pooja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja. The national transporter has scheduled additional express trains linking northern, eastern, western, and southern regions of the country. Both online and offline ticket booking facilities have been opened in advance to help passengers secure seats and avoid waitlisted bookings.

Special services connect major urban hubs and regional towns across several states, providing travel relief to millions of passengers returning home for the celebrations.

Services extended across Maharashtra routes

In Maharashtra, Western Railway has extended the operations of the Dadar to Bhusaval Weekly Special train services. Train 09049 running from Dadar to Bhusaval and Train 09050 operating from Bhusaval to Dadar have both had their trips extended until 27 November 2026. According to Western Railway chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek, these services operate as special trains under special fare rules.

Reservations for the extended trips of Train 09049 open on 29 September 2026 across passenger reservation counters and the official IRCTC online portal.

Direct connections for Uttar Pradesh and Delhi passengers

Northern Railway has scheduled high-capacity special express services connecting major cities in Uttar Pradesh with the national capital region. The Varanasi to Delhi Reserved Special Express, running under train numbers 04209 and 04210, will complete 50 trips during the festive period. Train 04209 departs Varanasi at 10.15 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2 October to 27 November, reaching Delhi at 1.45 pm the next day. The return service, Train 04210, leaves Delhi at 6.50 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays between 2 October and 28 November, arriving in Varanasi at 9.50 am. The service includes AC two-tier, AC three-tier, sleeper, and general coaches.

For passengers travelling towards Purvanchal and Ayodhya, train numbers 04213 and 04214 will operate between Ayodhya Cantt and Anand Vihar Terminal, completing 36 trips between 1 October and 30 November. Train 04213 departs Ayodhya Cantt at 6.20 pm and arrives at Anand Vihar at 6.10 am the next morning. Train 04214 leaves Anand Vihar at 9.00 am, reaching Ayodhya Cantt at 10.00 pm on the same day.

Weekly train links for Punjab, Chandigarh and Bihar

To assist Bihar residents living in Punjab and Chandigarh, special weekly train services have been arranged on high-demand routes. The Chandigarh to Patna Special, operating under train numbers 04512 and 04511, will make 18 trips. The service halts at Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Varanasi, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Buxar, Ara, and Danapur before reaching Patna.

Additionally, the Firozpur Cantt to Patna Special, operating under train numbers 04616 and 04615, will make 16 trips. Its route includes stops at Moga, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Varanasi, and Buxar.

Inter-state connectivity between Kanpur and Bengaluru

Connecting northern and southern states, a special service between Kanpur Central in Uttar Pradesh and SMVT Bengaluru in Karnataka has been operationalised. Run by Southern Railway, Train 04131 leaves Kanpur Central every Sunday at 4.30 pm starting from 4 October. The return service, Train 04132, departs SMVT Bengaluru every Wednesday at 7.10 am starting from 7 October.

En route, this long-distance service halts at Prayagraj, Satna, Itarsi, Nagpur, Vijayawada, Nellore, Renigunta, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, and Krishnarajapuram.

Special schedules linking Tamil Nadu and Kerala

In the southern region, Southern Railway has scheduled Pooja festival weekly express specials to manage peak travel demand between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Train 06117 leaves Chennai Egmore at 11.40 pm on Thursdays—specifically 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 October—arriving at Kollam in Kerala at 4.20 pm the next day across 5 scheduled trips. In the reverse direction, Train 06118 leaves Kollam at 6.45 pm on Fridays—2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 October—reaching Chennai Egmore at 12.30 pm the following day.

A second set of services, Train 06121 and 06122, links Chennai Egmore, Kollam, and Dr MGR Chennai Central across 5 weekly trips. Train 06121 departs Chennai Egmore at 11.40 pm on Saturdays—3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 October—reaching Kollam at 4.20 pm the next day. Train 06122 leaves Kollam at 6.45 pm on Sundays—4, 11, 18, 25 October, and 1 November—arriving at Dr MGR Chennai Central at 11.35 am on Monday. Both Southern Railway services feature a coach composition of 1 AC first class cum AC two-tier coach, 2 AC two-tier coaches, 4 AC three-tier coaches, 13 sleeper class coaches, and 2 luggage cum brake vans. Southern Railway chief public relations officer S.N. Narain confirmed that advance bookings for these southern special services opened on 23 September 2026.

Intermediate stoppages along these southern routes include Perambur, Tiruvallur, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Podanur, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Changanasseri, Tiruvalla, Chengannur, Mavelikara, and Kayankulam.

Booking procedures and passenger support services

Passengers planning travel during the festival season can purchase tickets through the official IRCTC app and website, or directly at station reservation counters. For real-time updates regarding train status, seat availability, and detailed timetables, travellers can access the National Train Enquiry System app.

For travel queries, assistance, or reporting grievances during their journey, passengers can contact the integrated helpline number 139, designated as RailMadad.