Diwali and Puja Special Train

Diwali and Puja Special Train

For More Information Click the Below Link

Here’s the latest comprehensive update on Diwali & Puja Special Trains operated by Indian Railways during the festive season:

🎉 1. Overview: Festival Special Trains (Diwali, Chhath, Durga Puja)

Indian Railways typically launches special trains ahead of major festivals like Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Durga Puja to manage the surge in demand. These services operate on key routes connecting metro hubs to eastern and northern India
In 2024, nearly 7,000 special train trips were operated to facilitate Diwali and Chhath travel, moving ~200,000 extra passengers daily.

Operated 200 special trains in 2025 for festive demand, including 40 trains managed by Mumbai Division. Most headed to destinations in UP, Bihar, WB, and Odisha.

Launched 24 special trains between Panvel and Nanded to decongest routes during festivals. Some services ran bi-weekly between October–November 2025.

Scheduled 6 special trains (Oct–Nov 2025) covering Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath demand (~6,000 trips)

East Coast Railway (ECoR) operated 27 train pairs (1,134 trips) connecting Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Sambalpur, and others to northern/central destinations.

Most special trains operate for 4–6 weeks across the festival window, often starting in late October and running till early/mid November.
To accommodate demand, the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) was reduced from 120 to 60 days in 2025. A similar timeline is expected for 2025.

Zone / Route	Number of Trains	Operational Period	Routes Covered
Western Railway	~200 specials	Oct–Nov 2025	Mumbai Division → UP/Bihar/West Bengal
Central Railway (Panvel–Nanded)	24 specials	Oct–Nov 2025	Panvel ↔ Hazur Sahib Nanded
SECR	6 specials	Oct–Nov 2025	Gondia, Chhapra, Patna, etc.
Eastern / East Coast Zones	27 pairs (~1,100 trips)	Oct–Nov 2025	Bhubaneswar, Puri ↔ Patna, Kolkata, etc.

According to traveller reports, special trains frequently face delays, often due to network congestion and signal issues.
It’s common to encounter rushed crowd situations at originating stations like Surat or Udhna.

As of this season, Western and Central Railways are expected to continue running festival special trains during Diwali 2025.
Maharashtra’s gauge conversion (Nagpur–Umred) line is set to open before Diwali 2025, which should improve connectivity in the region.

Festival specials are a recurring feature during Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Durga Puja seasons.
In recent years, IR operates hundreds of special trains zone-wise, collectively adding up to thousands of service trips.
Bookings open 60 days ahead, with priority to high‑demand corridors.
These trains reduce waitlists and add capacity, but are prone to congestion and travel delays.
Expect similar deployment in October–November 2025.

Would you like assistance with:

Upcoming 2025 Diwali train special schedules for specific routes (e.g. Mumbai ↔ Bihar)?
Checking seat availability or waitlist status for those trains?
Help locating these specials via NTES or Rail Madad?

Let me know—happy to help next steps!