Indian Railways will operate more than 1,410 Holi special trains across the country next month, with the number expected to rise to around 1,500 as demand builds, the Ministry of Railways announced on Friday. The expanded services aim to ease the annual surge in passenger traffic as people travel home to celebrate the festival with their families.

The special services will run throughout March, traditionally one of the busiest periods for long-distance travel. This year’s planned operations significantly exceed those of Holi 2025, when 1,144 special trains were introduced, marking a sharp increase in capacity to meet festive-season demand.

East Central Railway leads deployment

Among all zones, the East Central Railway (ECR) has scheduled the highest number of Holi special trains, deploying 285 services to handle the heavy flow of passengers across eastern and north-central routes.

The Western Railway (WR) will run 231 such trains, while the Central Railway (CR) has arranged 209 services, both catering to high-density corridors linking major cities. The South Central Railway will add 160 trains, and the Northern Railway plans to operate 108 trains to serve states where Holi sees widespread travel.

Strong support from other Railway zones

Other zones are also contributing to the expanded festive timetable:

  • North Western Railway (NWR): 71 trains
  • North Central Railway (NCR): 66 trains
  • North Eastern Railway (NER): 62 trains
  • East Coast Railway (ECOR): 62 trains
  • South Western Railway (SWR): 47 trains
  • West Central Railway (WCR): 43 trains
  • Southern Railway (SR): 39 trains
  • South East Central Railway (SECR): 15 trains

On the coastal stretch, the Konkan Railway will run 9 special trains. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) will operate 2 trains to support regional travel requirements.

Focus on festival-era travel efficiency

Holi typically brings one of the year's biggest travel peaks, with large numbers of people leaving major metropolitan centres for their hometowns. To prevent overcrowding and ensure smoother travel, Indian Railways has planned the special services in advance based on projected demand and previous booking patterns.

Officials said the railways remain committed to ensuring passenger convenience and safety during major festivals. They added that more services could be introduced if reservation trends in the coming weeks indicate additional pressure on popular routes.