Indian Railways has introduced a new festive travel scheme that offers passengers a 20 per cent discount on return tickets during Diwali and Chhath. Officials said the move is aimed at easing the holiday rush and improving seat utilisation on both legs of a journey, while also making travel more affordable for families heading home for the festive season.
The initiative, which began on 14 August 2025, is part of a broader strategy to manage passenger demand during peak travel months. Under the scheme, travellers booking onward tickets between 13 October and 26 October will be eligible to purchase discounted return tickets for journeys scheduled between 17 November and 1 December. The discount applies only to the base fare, leaving reservation charges, superfast surcharges, and GST unchanged. Railway officials explained that the scheme has been designed to balance demand by ensuring trains run fuller on both outward and inward routes. For instance, a passenger travelling from Delhi to Kolkata for Diwali will be able to secure a discounted return ticket for the return leg, thereby making the round trip more cost-efficient.
The discount mechanism has been integrated directly into the IRCTC booking portal. Passengers can choose the onward journey dates within the designated festive window, and once the onward booking is confirmed, the system provides an option to book the discounted return leg. Importantly, the return trip must match the same passenger details, class, and station combination as the onward journey. This programme is not subject to the usual 60-day advance reservation period, allowing greater flexibility for passengers. Officials confirmed that the offer is valid across most classes and train categories, including special services, but excludes trains operating on flexi fare models.
Industry experts believe the initiative will not only help decongest stations during peak festival travel but also promote more sustainable travel behaviour by reducing the need for last-minute bookings and tout-driven black-market ticketing. The predictable return flow of passengers is expected to optimise energy use across railway operations, aligning with the government’s push for greener mobility. Economists tracking transport affordability note that the 20 per cent reduction, though applied only on the base fare, will significantly reduce costs for families undertaking long-distance travel during the festive period. For lower and middle-income households, particularly those from smaller towns, the scheme provides much-needed financial relief while strengthening railways’ role as the backbone of affordable Indian travel.
With railways playing a pivotal role in domestic connectivity, the festival round-trip scheme underscores the sector’s shift towards smarter, passenger-centric policies. Officials said the success of this year’s rollout could pave the way for similar seasonal ticketing strategies in the future, potentially covering other high-demand periods such as summer vacations and regional festivals.
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