Railway Update:- Securing train tickets to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during major festivals like Diwali and Chhath is often difficult, causing significant travel woes for passengers. Frequently, tickets for these trains sell out almost immediately after bookings open. With regular trains facing long waiting lists and airfares rising to two or three times their usual rates, millions of travellers rely on special trains. Many people book their tickets as early as two months in advance to ensure they can get home for Diwali and Chhath Puja.
If you, too, wish to visit your family during these festivals but are unable to secure a confirmed seat on regular trains, there is no need to worry. Northern Railway has devised a solution: the railway will now send direct messages to passengers’ mobile phones informing them about seat availability on festival special trains, enabling them to book tickets without delay.
How the Railway’s Alert System Works
During the festive season, a lack of timely information about special trains often results in seats remaining unsold. Additionally, passengers are frequently forced to scramble for ‘Tatkal’ tickets at the last minute. To address these issues, the railway has formulated a new strategy. Over the past year, it has compiled a database of mobile numbers belonging to passengers who travel on routes connecting to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh—specifically to destinations such as Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, and Prayagraj.
Now, whenever a new special train is announced for a route or a new coach with available seats is added, passengers associated with that route will immediately receive an alert via bulk SMS. Upon receiving the message, passengers can directly book confirmed tickets through the IRCTC app or at railway counters.
Northern Railway to Operate Over 1,000 Additional Trips
In light of the festive rush and to ensure passenger convenience, Northern Railway has significantly expanded the scope of its special train operations this year. Northern Railway has announced approximately 1,000 trips for special trains scheduled to run from mid-October through the end of November. Last year, over 12,000 special train trips were operated nationwide; Northern Railway alone accounted for more than 5,500 of these trips, providing over 100,000 additional seats for passengers. This figure is expected to rise further this year.
Meanwhile, according to a social media post by East Central Railway, eight special trains will operate between locations such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur, and Rishikesh, and destinations in Bihar, including Patna, Jogbani, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Laukaha Bazar, and Patliputra. The East Central Railway zone stated that these special trains will run on the following routes: Chandigarh–Patna, Firozpur Cantt–Patna, Anand Vihar–Jogbani, Anand Vihar–Muzaffarpur, Delhi Junction–Sitamarhi, Anand Vihar–Laukaha Bazar, Yog Nagari Rishikesh–Muzaffarpur, and Anand Vihar–Patliputra.