Central Railway has announced additional special trains for the Diwali and Chhath travel season, with four services departing from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus receiving halts at Thane and Kalyan. Ticket reservations for the festival services are scheduled to begin on October 2, giving passengers from Thane, Kalyan and nearby areas more options for travel towards northern and eastern India.
The additional services have been planned against the seasonal increase in passenger demand during Diwali, Chhath and related पूजा travel. According to the Loksatta report, Central Railway has announced 162 additional special trains, taking the total number of festival special services announced so far to 580, including trains announced earlier.
For passengers in the Thane region, the halts are significant because Thane station handles large numbers of travellers heading towards northern India during the festival period. The newly announced services will allow passengers to board trains closer to home instead of relying only on departures from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus or other major terminals.
The four Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-originating services include special trains for Samastipur, Danapur, Santragachi and Banaras. The report identifies Thane and Kalyan as halts for these services. It does not provide the complete timetable for all four trains, so passengers will need to check the official reservation system and Central Railway updates for service-specific departure dates, berth availability and operational details.
One of the services identified in the announcement is the weekly air-conditioned Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Samastipur special train. It will halt at Thane and Kalyan, as well as Nashik Road, Bhusawal, Itarsi, Prayagraj Chheoki, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Danapur, Patliputra, Sonpur, Hajipur and Muzaffarpur.
The Samastipur special train is scheduled to depart from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus every Tuesday between October 13 and November 17. The listed route connects Mumbai’s eastern suburban rail terminal with several important stations across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, providing an additional long-distance option during the festival travel window.
The additional trains are intended to distribute the seasonal passenger load across more services. For residents using Thane and Kalyan stations, the availability of extra halts may reduce the need to travel to distant terminals to access festival trains, although the actual benefit will depend on the number of seats released, the final operating schedule and demand on individual routes.
Central Railway’s announcement comes as advance planning becomes important for passengers travelling during the concentrated Diwali and Chhath period. Reservations for the announced special services are expected to open from October 2, while service details and booking availability will determine which trains can be used by passengers from Thane, Kalyan and surrounding suburbs.
