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15 clusters · 34 sources · 51 days · First seen · Last updated

Indian Railways festival ticket demand and special services

Overview

Indian Railways and the IRCTC are managing significant surges in passenger demand ahead of major festivals. Following a policy change shortening the reservation window from 120 to 60 days, IRCTC reached a milestone of 2,006,353 single-day bookings. Online transactions now represent 89 percent of all bookings. As Diwali and Chhath Puja approach, high demand has led to rapid sell-outs on major routes, with many regular railway reservations reaching capacity and generating extensive waiting lists. To alleviate congestion, authorities have expanded special services. In Telangana, South Central Railway is operating 34 special services between Secunderabad and Sirpur Kaghaznagar. East Central Railway has announced Puja special trains connecting Bihar to cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kota. West Railway is running Amrit Bharat Special trains between Udhna and Jaynagar to assist migrants, while a 16-coach Vande Bharat Festival Special will connect New Delhi and Patna starting October 16. In Kolkata, Metro Railway is implementing night-long services on its Blue and Green Lines during Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, and Maha Navami to assist festival revellers. Additionally, the Sealdah–Khurda Road Special will run weekly from October 17 through November 28. In Kerala, Southern Railway has introduced new services to manage Diwali traffic, including the Thiruvananthapuram North–Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Special and services between Thiruvananthapuram North and Tambaram. However, engineering works at Kalamasseri Station will cause the Bengaluru–Ernakulam Junction Vande Bharat Express to be partially cancelled on October 27, 2026, short-terminating at Thrissur. To further manage the Diwali and Chhath Puja surges, Central Railway is introducing special services between Nagpur and Mumbai on November 28 and 29, alongside additional connectivity between Nagpur and Hadapsar (Pune) in late November. Meanwhile, Northern Railway has implemented timetable revisions for several major trains operating from Delhi, Anand Vihar, and New Delhi toward Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Entities

Indian Railways · IRCTC · Southern Railway · East Central Railway · Central Railway

Timeline

  1. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indian Railways announces special trains and schedule changes for Diwali and Chhath festivals

    Indian Railways is launching special festival trains and updating schedules for major routes to Delhi, UP, and Bihar to manage heavy passenger traffic during Diwali and Chhath Puja.

  2. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Southern Railway announces Diwali specials and service updates in Kerala

    Southern Railway is introducing Diwali special trains in Kerala and implementing service regulations for the Vande Bharat Express due to engineering works, alongside a major station cleanliness drive.

  3. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    India sees surge in festive travel demand for Diwali

    India faces a major travel surge for the Diwali season, with Airbnb reporting a 40% rise in domestic searches and significant booking shortages in trains and flights.

  4. [BUSINESS] 6 sources
    Kolkata Metro and Suburban Rail record massive ridership during Durga Puja

    Kolkata's Metro and Sealdah Division recorded historic passenger numbers during Durga Puja 2026, with Metro ridership up 32% and suburban rail seeing a 33% increase.

  5. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indian Railways announces special festive trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja

    Indian Railways is launching Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat special trains to manage heavy passenger traffic during the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, connecting regions like Gujarat, Delhi, and Bihar.

  6. [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    Indian Railways announces special trains for festival season

    Indian Railways is launching numerous special train services across Telangana and Bihar to accommodate the surge in passenger travel during the upcoming festival season.

  7. [CULTURE] 3 sources
    Kolkata and Indian Railways announce special services for Durga Puja

    Indian Railways and Kolkata Metro are launching special train and overnight metro services to manage heavy passenger crowds during the upcoming Durga Puja and Diwali festivals.

  8. [BUSINESS] 8 sources
    Indian Railways announces special festive trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja

    Indian Railways is launching numerous special festive trains for Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja to manage passenger surges and improve connectivity across major routes in India.

  9. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indian travel demand surges ahead of Diwali

    Diwali's timing has shifted travel patterns in India, leading to high IRCTC booking volumes and rising flight fares. IRCTC also maintains monthly ticket limits to prevent fraud.

  10. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indian Railways announces special trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja

    Indian Railways is launching hundreds of special and clone trains to manage high passenger demand during the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, specifically targeting routes to Bihar and Northeast India.

  11. [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    Indian Railways announces special train services for upcoming festivals

    Indian Railways is launching hundreds of special train services to accommodate festive travel for Ganeshotsav, Pooja, and Deepavali, connecting various regions including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Bihar.

  12. [BUSINESS] 4 sources
    Indian Railways announces special trains for festive season

    Indian Railways is launching multiple special train services to accommodate increased passenger demand during the Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja festivals.

  13. [BUSINESS] 5 sources
    Indian Railways announces special trains amid record ticket bookings

    Indian Railways has announced special festival trains and IRCTC recorded a record 2 million single-day ticket bookings to manage the Diwali and Chhath holiday travel surge.

  14. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indian Railways Diwali tickets sell out within minutes

    Diwali train tickets for travel on November 6 sold out within minutes of booking opening, leaving many passengers on waitlists for major routes to southern India.

  15. [BUSINESS] 4 sources
    Indian Railways opens Diwali and Chhath Puja ticket bookings

    Indian Railways has opened ticket bookings for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals. High demand has caused rapid sell-outs on major routes, prompting warnings against fraudulent agents.

Sources

bengali.news18.com · bhaskarhindi.com · dtnext.in · enavabharat.com · english.mathrubhumi.com · esakal.com · hindi.news18.com · hindimilap.com · hindutamil.in · india.com · indtoday.com · latestly.com · maalaimalar.com · millenniumpost.in · navbharatlive.com · newindianexpress.com · news18.com · newsbytesapp.com · newsindialive.in · odishabarta.com · pagalparrot.com · pragativadi.com · pratahkal.com · pudhari.news · samacharnama.com · sanmarg.in · sentinelassam.com · socialnews.xyz · tamil.indianexpress.com · thecsrjournal.in · timesbull.com · todaystraveller.net · tv9hindi.com · upkiran.org

This summary has been updated 14 times: see revision history