Special Trains: Before Diwali and Chhath Puja, Indian railways announced more trains. To manage the additional rush of passengers during the upcoming Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, Northern Railway, in coordination with other zonal railways, has announced a series of Festival Special Trains for 2026. These special services will connect several major cities and destinations across the country, providing passengers with additional travel options during the festive season.
Railways Announced Special Trains
The special trains will operate on multiple routes, including New Delhi–Patna, Patna–New Delhi, Chandigarh–Patna, Firozpur Cantt–Patna, Anand Vihar Terminal–Jogbani, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, Rishikesh, Supaul, Howrah, Kolkata, Amritsar, Jaynagar, Barauni, Darbhanga, Shakur Basti, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Jammu Tawi, Katihar, Ludhiana and Saharsa.
Several trains will operate on a weekly, bi-weekly, tri-weekly or daily basis, while some services will run on selected dates. The schedule has been designed to accommodate increased passenger demand during the festive period, with services continuing on different routes until November and December 2026.
Passengers Should Know
Among the important services, the New Delhi–Patna and Patna–New Delhi Festival Special trains will operate multiple times a week. Special services will also connect New Delhi with Howrah, Kolkata, Danapur, Gaya, Darbhanga, Kamakhya and other destinations. Passengers travelling between Delhi and eastern India will therefore have additional options during the festive rush.
For passengers travelling to West Bengal, Northern Railway has announced special trains on the New Delhi–Howrah, Rishikesh–Kolkata and Amritsar–Kolkata routes. Train number 04052 will depart New Delhi at 6:15 PM and reach Howrah at 11:40 PM the following day. It will operate three days a week until November 29, 2026. Its return service, train number 04051, will depart Howrah at 1:40 AM and reach New Delhi at 8:20 AM the following day.
The Rishikesh–Kolkata special train, numbered 04312, will depart Yog Nagari Rishikesh at 10:20 PM and reach Kolkata at 8:00 AM on Friday. The return service, numbered 04311, will leave Kolkata at 1:55 PM on Sunday. Similarly, the Amritsar–Kolkata special train will operate on Wednesdays, while its return service will run on Saturdays.
Other important services include Amritsar–Barauni, Chandigarh–Patna, Anand Vihar Terminal–Jogbani, Delhi–Sitamarhi, Anand Vihar Terminal–Bhagalpur, New Delhi–Danapur, Shakur Basti–Darbhanga, Delhi–Gaya, Firozpur Cantt–Purnea and Amritsar–Jaynagar special trains.
The frequency of these trains varies depending on the route. Some will run daily, while others will operate on specific weekdays or selected dates. Several services will remain available until November 30, 2026, and a few will continue into December 2026. The schedule also includes date-wise special services on routes such as Shakur Basti–Mansi, Mansi–Shakur Basti, Shakur Basti–Jhanjharpur and Jhanjharpur–Shakur Basti.
Passengers are advised to check the complete timetable, including departure and arrival timings, stoppages and operating dates, before planning their journeys. For further information, they can visit the official Indian Railways enquiry website at https://enquiry.indianrail.gov.in .