Indian Railways will operate a record 12,000 special trains between October 1 and November 15 to manage the heavy passenger rush during Diwali and Chhath, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday, September 23. The move, he said will make festive travel smoother after significant expansion of track capacity and better utilisation of resources.
Capacity scaled up from last year
Last year, 7,750 special trains were pressed into service for Diwali and Chhath. The increase this year reflects infrastructure upgrades, including additional tracks on congested sections and better coordination of freight and passenger services. Vaishnaw said these measures have allowed the Railways to run more trains without disrupting regular services.
10,000 trains already notified
Of the 12,000 special trains planned, schedules for 10,000 have already been notified. The remaining services will be announced in phases depending on demand patterns. About 150 trains will be fully unreserved, to be deployed at short notice in the last few days before the festivals. These services will primarily cater to passengers travelling to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, states that see the highest Chhath-related demand.
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Railway officials said the strategy of staggering announcements allows them to respond flexibly to passenger flows and allocate rakes efficiently. Demand on routes such as Delhi-Patna, Mumbai-Varanasi, Delhi-Darbhanga and Surat-Chapra is expected to peak in the days immediately before Diwali and Chhath.
Punctuality showing steady improvement
Highlighting operational performance, Vaishnaw said, “Out of 70 divisions, 29 have now achieved over 95 per cent punctuality.” These include Malda, Nagpur, Kota, Ranchi, Jaipur, Rajkot, Bikaner and Ahmedabad. He said punctuality improvements were supported by investment in modern signalling, better maintenance schedules and stricter monitoring of delays.
The ministry has set a target of achieving near 100 per cent punctuality across all divisions. Officials said tighter timetables and the use of technology such as real-time data tracking have reduced avoidable delays.
Sleeper Vande Bharat on track
The minister also provided an update on the Vande Bharat Sleeper, designed for long-distance overnight journeys. The first rake has been tested and a second will be ready by mid-October. “Passengers will soon be able to travel on sleeper Vande Bharat trains, which combine modern facilities with greater comfort for overnight travel,” Vaishnaw said. The initial rollout will be on high-demand routes, with wider deployment planned in stages.
Making festive journeys easier
To manage the expected surge of millions of passengers, the Railways will use real-time monitoring of passenger density and crowd control at key stations. Additional ticket counters and helpline facilities are also being arranged. Officials said efforts are being made to prevent overcrowding on platforms and ensure that security is strengthened during peak days.
Special focus has been placed on routes connecting Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata with Patna, Varanasi, Gaya, Darbhanga and other major cities in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. These sectors see some of the heaviest festive travel anywhere in the world.
The Railways said the combined steps of scaling up special services, improving punctuality and introducing modern trains would make festive travel easier. Officials added that crowd management and safety will remain priorities.
“By adding record capacity and monitoring movement closely, we want to ensure that passengers reach home for Diwali and Chhath without the difficulties of earlier years,” Vaishnaw said.
