October 3, 2026: Railway authorities have increased the operation of festival special trains in view of the expected rush during Diwali, Dussehra and Chhath Puja. More than 44 special trains will pass through Uttar Pradesh during the festival season, connecting destinations including Bihar, Punjab, Delhi and Jammu.
The special trains will operate during October and November to help manage the rush as passengers have already started booking tickets to travel home for the festivals. More than 44 special trains will operate in both directions via Bareilly, providing additional travel options for passengers.
Regular long-distance trains such as Kumbh, Amritsar-Howrah, Janata, Shramjeevi, Kashi Vishwanath, Garib Rath, Garib Nawaz and Lucknow-Chandigarh are already witnessing heavy demand. According to the report, tickets for these trains are showing no-room and regret status after October 10.
Festival Special Train Schedule
- October 1 to November 27, Thursdays and Fridays: 04512 Chandigarh-Patna-Chandigarh Special and 04511 Patna-Chandigarh-Patna Special.
- October 7 to November 25, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 05005 Barhni-Jalandhar City-Barhni Special and 05006 Jalandhar City-Barhni-Jalandhar Special.
- October 1 to November 26, Thursdays and Fridays: 04829 Jodhpur-Gorakhpur-Jodhpur Special and 04830 Gorakhpur-Jodhpur-Gorakhpur Special.
- October 4 to December 12, Sundays and Tuesdays: 04604 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Varanasi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Special and 04603 Varanasi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Varanasi Special.
- October 1 to November 27, Thursdays and Fridays: 04610 Jammu Tawi-Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Special and 04609 Varanasi-Jammu Tawi-Varanasi Special.
- October 6 to November 25, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 04616 Firozpur Cantt-Patna-Firozpur Special and 04615 Patna-Firozpur Cantt-Patna Special.
- October 1 to November 30, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays: 04227 Varanasi-Chandigarh-Varanasi Special and 04228 Chandigarh-Varanasi-Chandigarh Special.
- October 10 to November 8, Saturdays and Sundays: 04407 Anand Vihar Terminal-Jogbani-Anand Vihar Terminal Special and 04408 Jogbani-Anand Vihar Terminal-Jogbani Special.
- October 13 to November 25, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: 04028 Anand Vihar Terminal-Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar Terminal Special and 04027 Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar Terminal-Muzaffarpur Special.
- October 15 to November 21, Thursdays and Saturdays: 04010 Samastipur-Delhi-Samastipur Special and 04009 Delhi-Samastipur-Delhi Special.
Airfares Also Expected to Rise During Festive Season
Air travel is also expected to become more expensive during the festival season due to increased demand. People have already started booking flights from Delhi, Bengaluru, Navi Mumbai and Jewar for travel during Diwali, Chhath Puja and Dussehra holidays.
According to the report, air tickets from Bareilly to these cities generally cost around Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000. However, fares can rise to Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000 during the first week of November.
The report states that airfares can become nearly twice as expensive during the festive period. Thousands of young people from Bareilly work in the IT sector in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida and Bengaluru and travel home by air during major festivals. With high passenger demand and limited availability, travellers may have to pay higher fares.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.