Indian Railways has announced a large set of festival special trains for Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath Puja 2026, mainly for passengers travelling from Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai and Varanasi to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. India TV News, which published the timetable on 13 September, listed 14 routes with an up and a down train each. Reports put the total number of festival trips announced at well over 8,000, but those figures come from rail-tracking sites and vary, so passengers should rely on the railway’s own listings.
Among the services listed: Varanasi–Delhi Junction (04209/04210) runs from 2 October to 27 November; Ayodhya Cantt–Anand Vihar (04213/04214) from 1 October to 30 November; Chandigarh–Patna (04512/04511) from 1 October to 27 November; Anand Vihar–Patliputra (04096/04095), with 120 trips, from 1 October to 30 November; Anand Vihar–Muzaffarpur (04028/04027) from 13 October to 25 November; and Delhi Junction–Sitamarhi (04010/04009) from 15 October to 21 November. Hazrat Nizamuddin–Dadar (04002/04001) is listed as running from 13 October to 26 November.
News24 has also reported a 16-coach Vande Bharat festival special between New Delhi and Patna (02252/02251), with return runs from Patna starting on 17 October and then on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays until 26 November. These details come from secondary reports.
The railway has said bookings are open, and passengers are advised to book through the IRCTC website or at station counters. Timings, stops and operating dates can change, and some listings contain inconsistencies, so check the train number on the National Train Enquiry System or IRCTC before travelling.
Chhath Puja is listed for 12 to 15 November 2026, and Diwali falls on 8 November.
Sources: India TV News: Diwali, Chhath special trains to UP, Bihar; IRCTC.
Featured image: A Vande Bharat Express at Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi (cropped). Photo by Ravi Dwivedi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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