Holi Special Trains 2026: Railways Announces 1,244 Special Trips for Festive Travel

Holi Special Trains 2026: In light of the growing passenger traffic during the Holi festival, Indian Railways has made the decision to run 1,244 special Holi train trips throughout the nation. These services commenced on February 25th and will extend until March 18th, 2026. The Railways has indicated that if there is a demand for more trains, they can plan up to 1,500 special trips. These arrangements are designed to provide passengers with safe, smooth, and comfortable travel during the festival.

Where will these trains operate?

As per reports, these special trains will link major metropolitan areas, state capitals, and key regional hubs, alleviating congestion on regular trains and offering passengers the ease of confirmed tickets. Special trains will operate from Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur to Danapur, Gorakhpur, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Samastipur, and Barauni. There will also be additional services from Visakhapatnam, Puri, and Bhubaneswar to Shalimar, Patna, Yeshwantpur, and Dhanbad.

Which states will have train services?

Key cities in Bihar and Jharkhand, including Patna, Darbhanga, Saharsa, and Dhanbad, will be connected to New Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal, Chandigarh, and SMVT Bengaluru. Furthermore, there will be enhanced connectivity between Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata, and Malda Town to Raxaul, Madhubani, Gorakhpur, and Anand Vihar Terminal in Eastern and Northern India. In South India, MGR Chennai Central, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram North, Coimbatore, Secunderabad, Tirupati, and SMVT Bengaluru will be linked to Patna, Barauni, Muzaffarpur, Santragachi, Ajmer, and Jaipur. The East Central Railway will manage the highest number of special trains, operating 50 special trains and 275 trips.

Railways has also informed how many trains will be run from the remaining zones

East Central Railway: 50 services, 275 trips
Central Railway: 20 services, 129 trips
East Coast Railway: 8 services, 62 trips
Eastern Railway: 22 services, 48 ​​trips
Northern Railway: 48 services, 204 trips
North Central Railway: 16 services, 46 trips
North Eastern Railway: 12 services, 27 trips
North Frontier Railway: 10 services, 29 trips
North Western Railway: 14 services, 28 trips
South Central Railway: 16 services, 40 trips
South Eastern Railway: 28 services, 107 trips
South East Central Railway: 10 services, 14 trips
Southern Railway: 12 services, 31 trips
South Western Railway: 8 services, 21 trips
West Central Railway: 18 services, 43 trips
Western Railway: 32 services, 120 trips
Konkan Railway: 4 services, 20 trips

What is the plan of Railways?

The Railways says that the operation of these special trains will facilitate millions of passengers in reaching their homes for Holi. The additional trains will not only reduce congestion on regular trains but also ensure passengers experience a timely and safe journey.