Indian Railways is running hundreds of special trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja 2026 to handle the festival rush, and the peak travel days are right now — outbound travel peaked between 4 and 7 November, with Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) on Sunday, 8 November and Chhath Puja from 13 to 16 November. If you still need a ticket, most reserved seats on the popular routes are already full, but Tatkal, current booking and the extra special trains are still options.

There is no single official national total for the specials — they are announced zone by zone. The numbers that are confirmed: Central Railway announced 162 additional special trains, taking its total festival specials to 580; North Central Railway notified 1,053 trips; the Solapur division announced 102 trips; and Pune division announced 216 trips.

Key special trains and routes

Central Railway (Mumbai and Maharashtra):

  • LTT–Samastipur Weekly AC Special (01043/01044): 13 October to 19 November 2026
  • LTT–Danapur Daily Special (01143/01144): 9 October to 22 November 2026
  • LTT–Santragachi Weekly AC SF Special (01107/01108): 6 October to 29 October 2026
  • LTT–Banaras Weekly Special (05168/05167): 17 October to 29 November 2026
  • Khadki–Hazrat Nizamuddin Bi-Weekly AC SF Special (01483/01484): 6 October to 21 November 2026
  • Khadki–Sanganer Weekly SF Special (01411/01412): 15 October to 20 November 2026

Mumbai (Solapur division) specials:

  • LTT–Mau (01123): Fridays and Sundays, 11 October to 20 November 2026
  • CSMT–Chennai Beach (01015): every Wednesday, 14 October to 18 November 2026
  • CSMT–SMVT Bengaluru (01013): every Saturday, 10 October to 21 November 2026
  • CSMT–Gorakhpur (01079): daily, 16 October to 16 November 2026
  • CSMT–Latur (01105): Tuesdays and Thursdays, 13 October to 24 November 2026

West Central Railway (Madhya Pradesh to Bihar and Delhi):

  • Rani Kamalapati–Danapur (01667/01668): 12 October to 16/17 November 2026
  • Rewa–Rani Kamalapati (02192): 17 and 24 October, 7 and 14 November
  • Somnath–Danapur (09823): Saturdays, 10 October to 14 November
  • Jabalpur–Delhi (01707): Saturdays, 17 October to 14 November
  • Delhi–Jabalpur (01708): Sundays, 18 October to 15 November
  • Jabalpur–Haridwar (01703): Thursdays, 22 October to 19 November

Other confirmed specials:

  • Anand Vihar Terminal–Patliputra (04096/04095): daily, running to 29 and 30 November
  • Anand Vihar Terminal–Lokhaa Bazar (04014/04013): daily, running to 29 and 30 November
  • Mumbai CSMT–Chennai Beach (01015/01016): Wednesday from Mumbai, Thursday from Chennai, 18 and 19 November

How to book

  • Book reserved seats on the IRCTC website or app, the RailOne app, or at railway PRS reservation counters.
  • Unreserved coach tickets can be booked through the UTS app or at counters.
  • Bookings for most specials opened in late September and early October — the Solapur division specials opened on 27 September, and Central Railway bookings opened on 2 October.
  • Special trains fill up like regular trains and carry waitlists. If your train is full, try Tatkal (opens one day before departure), current booking after chart preparation, nearby stations, or a different special on the same route.

What to check before you travel

  • Confirm every train number on NTES (the National Train Enquiry System) before you pay or travel. Special train lists change as Railways adds, extends or cancels trips, and some trains are reported with different numbers in different sources.
  • Check the running days and dates carefully — many specials run only on specific weekdays.
  • Holding areas have been set up at 15 major stations in Bihar from 3 November to manage crowds. Reach the station early and follow the announcements.
  • Carry a valid ticket and photo ID. Travelling without a ticket on a special train attracts the same penalty as on a regular train.

If you cannot get a reserved seat

  • Try Tatkal at 10 AM (AC) and 11 AM (non-AC) the day before travel.
  • Check current availability after the chart is prepared, usually 4 hours before departure.
  • Look for specials added late — Railways keeps announcing extra trips through the festival.
  • Consider nearby boarding stations on the same route, which sometimes have seats when your station does not.
  • Buses are the fallback on short routes, but fares rise sharply during Diwali week — book early if you go that way.

Related articles on HimachalGovt