Extension and Restoration of Festival Special Trains to Regular trains
Central Railway will extend the run of following festival special trains with restored numbers until further advice as per details given below:
- Train No. 01033 Pune-Darbhanga (Wed) notified upto 30.3.2025 will now run as 11033
- Train No. 01034 Darbhanga-Pune (Fri) notified upto 01.4.2025 will now run as 11034
- Train No. 01407 Pune-Lucknow (Tue) notified upto 29.3.2025 will now run as 11407
- Train No. 01408 Lucknow-Pune (Thu) notified upto 31.3.2022 will now run as 11408
- Train No. 02107 LTT-Lucknow (Mon, Wed, Sat) notified upto 30.3.2025 will now run as 12107
- Train No. 02108 Lucknow-LTT (Tue, Thu, Sun) notified upto 31.3.2025 will now run as 12108
- Train No. 02165 LTT-Gorakhpur (Mon, Thu, Fri) notified upto 31.3.2025 will now run as 12165
- Train No. 02166 Gorakhpur-LTT (Tue, Fri, Sat) notified upto 01.4.2025 will now run as 12166
- Train No. 01079 LTT-Gorakhpur (Thu) notified upto 31.3.2025 will now run as 11079
- Train No. 01080 Gorakhpur-LTT (Sat) notified upto 02.4.2025 will now run as 11080
- Train No. 02101 LTT-Shalimar (Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat) notified upto 29.3.2025 will now run as 12101
- Train No. 02102 Shalimar-LTT (Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun) notified upto 31.3.2025 will now run as 12102
- Train No. 01115 Pune-Gorakhpur (every Thu) notified upto 31.3.2025 will now run as 11037
- Train No. 01116 Gorakhpur-Pune (every Sat) notified upto 02.4.2022 will now run as 11038
- Train No. 02135 Pune-Banaras (Mon) notified upto 28.3.2025 will now run as 22131
- Train No. 02136 Banaras-Pune (Wed) notified upto 30.3.2025 will now run as 22132
- Train No. 02099 Pune-Lucknow (Tue) notified upto 29.3.2025 will now run as 12103
- Train No. 02100 Lucknow-Pune (Wed) notified upto 30.3.2025 will now run as 12104
Reservation: Bookings for the extended trips of fully reserved trains leaving from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Pune on normal fare will open on 21.12.2025 at all computerised reservation centres and on website www.irctc.co.in.
For detailed timings and halts of the above special trains, please visit www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in or download NTES App
Only passengers having confirmed tickets will be permitted to board these special trains
Passengers are advised to adhere all norms, SOPs related to COVID19 during the boarding, travel and at destination.
Source: https://cr.indianrailways.gov.in/
Here’s a well‑structured summary of how Indian Railways extends festival special trains and converts them into regular scheduled services, with examples and context from recent years:
Contents
🔄 Extension & Restoration of Festival Special Trains
1. Framework: How Specials Become Regular Trains
- Festival “special” trains (starting with ‘0’ in numbering) are initially introduced temporarily to manage high travel demand.
- In response to sustained demand, IR may:
- Extend the special train for several months, or
- Restore it permanently, by converting it into a regular train with a new number (typically starting with ‘1’ or ‘2’)
- Once regularized, these trains follow the standard fare structure and get booked from all reservation channels.
🛤️ Real-Life Examples of Regularization
🎉 Case: Central Railway (December 2025 Announcement)
| Festival Train (Special) | Converted Train (Regular) | New Train No. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01033 Pune–Darbhanga | Regular service | 11033 | Restored to regular run |
| 01407 Pune–Lucknow | 11407 | Regular | |
| 02107 LTT–Lucknow | 12107 | Regular | |
| … | … | … | … |
- At least 18 special trains on CR were renumbered and regularized after operating during festival periods.
🎊 Another Example: Dadar–Nagercoil / Tirunelveli Specials
- Train Nos 06351/02629 running as special for festivals were converted to regular trains numbered 16351 and 22629, respectively, and continued with normal fares and booking facilities.
🔍 Recent Developments (2025–2025)
- Northern Railway, between October–November 2025, operated 3,144 festival special trips (highest ever) and later regularized multiple routes due to sustained usage.
- Eastern & South Eastern Railways extended dozens of festival specials (like Durga Puja, Diwali) into longer-running services—most eventually regularized or restructured.
🆕 Regularization Announced in June 2025
- The Vijayapura–Mangaluru Special (07377/07378) has been officially converted into a daily express train with regular numbers 17377/17378, effective June 2025.
- This includes standard fare applicability and expanded utility for local communities and travelers.
✅ Summary Table
| Special Train No. (Festival) | Converted Regular Train No. | Route | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01033–01034 | 11033 / 11034 | Pune–Darbhanga | Regularized CR |
| 01407–01408 | 11407 / 11408 | Pune–Lucknow | Regular service |
| 02107–02108 | 12107 / 12108 | LTT–Lucknow | Restored permanently |
| 06351 / 02629 | 16351 / 22629 | Dadar–Nagercoil/Tirunelveli | Festive extension into regular |
| 07377 / 07378 | 17377 / 17378 | Vijayapura–Mangaluru | Officially regularized as Express |
| Multiple North/East specials | Varied by zone | Across India | Extended during 2025 festivals; some regularized |
| Western Railway specials (e.g. Ajmer/Bikaner) | Continued under same number | Mumbai–Ajmer/Bikaner | Extended till Dec 2025 |
🧭 Key Takeaways
- Train numbers beginning with 0 are usually festival special trains; those with 1 or 2 often indicate regular services.
- If a special train runs regularly for months and sees strong occupancy, Indian Railways may permanently regularize it.
- Once regularized, the train:
- Appears on all reservation systems,
- Follows regular fare and cancellation norms,
- Carries new permanent train numbers, and no longer considered “special” fare.
- Regularization decisions are communicated via official Railway Board orders and PR notices from respective zones.
ℹ️ Pro Tip for Travelers & Enthusiasts
- Looking at a train’s number can tell you if it’s a temporary special (0xxxx) or a permanent regular route (1xxxx/2xxxx).
- If you frequently waitlist on a special train each season, it may be a candidate for regularization in future years.
- Want to monitor these changes? Zones like Western, Central, Northern railways often post extensions and restoration directives on PR channels and within IRCTC portal alerts.
💬 Need Help With:
- Tracking whether your frequent festival special train has been extended or regularized?
- Comparing fare structure differences between special and regular trains?
- Finding alternate booking options when a special is likely to be discontinued?
Let me know the train number or route, and I’d be happy to verify its current status or predict upcoming regularization trends!