Diwali-Chhath special trains will connect Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh with Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, eastern India and several southern cities during the 2026 festival travel season, according to a report by Aaj Tak Business. The additional services are intended to address the annual surge in demand when confirmed seats on regular trains become difficult to secure.
The report said 103 pairs of special trains originating from or terminating at stations under East Central Railway began operating from November 3, alongside five additional pairs within the zone. Another 51 pairs will pass through stations in Bihar and Jharkhand. The services cover major destinations including Patna, Danapur, Pataliputra, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhubani, Jayanagar, Purnia, Barauni, Samastipur, Raxaul and Sitamarhi.
For passengers in Delhi and the National Capital Region, listed services include daily special trains between New Delhi and Patna, Patna and Anand Vihar, Anand Vihar and Pataliputra, and New Delhi and Danapur. The report also lists Vande Bharat special services between New Delhi and Patna on specified days through November, as well as additional services from Shakurbasti to Patna on selected dates.
Passengers travelling from Punjab and Chandigarh have options to Patna, Barauni, Jayanagar, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Darbhanga and Gaya. Services listed in the report include trains from Chandigarh, Firozpur, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Sirhind. From eastern India, special trains will connect Howrah, Sealdah and Kolkata with Patna, Raxaul, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Jayanagar and Bettiah.
The schedule also includes services from Ahmedabad, Udhna and other Gujarat locations to Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jayanagar and Hasanpur Road. From Maharashtra, trains are listed from Pune, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Hadapsar, Nagpur and Valsad to Danapur, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Raxaul and Saharsa. Several of these services will operate daily, while others will run only on specified weekdays or individual dates.
Rail connections from southern India include services between Ernakulam and Patna, Bengaluru and Danapur, Hyderabad and Danapur, Charlapalli and Patna, Yeshwantpur and Saharsa, Mysuru and Darbhanga, and Pottanur and Barauni. Additional services are listed from Bhopal, Gwalior, Kota, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Gonda, Durg, Ranchi, Rourkela and Tata to destinations in Bihar and Jharkhand.
The services are scheduled in both directions because the travel pressure continues after the festivals, when workers and families return to cities where they live and work. The listed operating dates extend through late November and, for some routes, into early December.
Passengers have been advised to verify the train number, boarding station, destination, operating date, fare, coach composition and stoppages before booking. The report recommends checking the latest availability and service details through the IRCTC website or official railway enquiry channels, particularly for trains operating on only one or two specified dates.
