Indian Rail Travel: Vande Bharat, Waitlists, Festival Rush — 2026-09-25
Indian Railways is scaling up for the Diwali–Chhath exodus with over 1,000 special train trips announced, while over 70,000 Chhath-bound passengers remain waitlisted. A second Sleeper Vande Bharat is being planned on the Delhi–Varanasi corridor with a possible Diwali launch. New Delhi and Bandra stations are getting crowd-management upgrades ahead of the festival rush.
Indian Rail Travel: Vande Bharat, Waitlists, Festival Rush — 2026-09-25
Top developments
Railways to run over 1,000 special trips for Diwali and Chhath
On September 22, AajTak reported Indian Railways will operate 1,053 trips of special trains to ease festival traffic, after ticket "maramari" broke out as bookings opened on several routes. Business Today's Hindi service and Goodreturns similarly reported 100+ special trains connecting UP/Bihar-bound passengers with centres like Asarva, Udhna, Sabarmati, Valsad, Dadar, Kolkata, Guwahati, SMVT Bengaluru and Madurai. This is the main relief valve for waitlisted Diwali travellers.
70,000 passengers waitlisted for Chhath
Prabhat Khabar reported today from Patna that around 70,000 passengers remain on waiting lists for Chhath journeys and that 125 additional trains are needed to absorb the demand. It frames this as a "train ticket crisis" for lakhs returning to Bihar. The figure underlines why special-train extensions keep coming.
Second Sleeper Vande Bharat planned on Delhi–Varanasi
Times of India reported this week that Indian Railways is preparing a second Sleeper Vande Bharat between Delhi and Varanasi, one of the country's busiest corridors. News18 details a proposed 16-coach rake with 823 berths, a 9:20 PM departure, and a possible launch around Diwali. This continues the premium-overnight rollout that shapes Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat launch plans.
Western Railway extends 7 pairs of special trains from Mumbai
Patrika reported on Sept 22 that Western Railway extended seven pairs of Mumbai-origin special trains for the festival season, with booking opening September 23. ABP reported separately that railways will run 13 pairs of festival specials making 282 extra trips until the end of November.
New Delhi station measures; Bandra holding area
ETV Bharat (Sept 20) reported railway authorities have chalked out measures to handle the festival rush at New Delhi station, including strengthening facilities at Anand Vihar terminal and shifting some trains. Separately, the Indian Express reported Bandra Terminus will get a 2,625 sqm dedicated holding area for about 3,700 passengers, developed by RLDA, following the 2024 stampede scare. Station crowd management is front and centre before Diwali.
Local view
Prabhat Khabar (Bihar/Jharkhand) has been most aggressive on the waitlist story, headlining the 70,000-passenger backlog and the Kolkata–Varanasi Puja special train as relief for the Kolkata–Banaras route during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath. Naidunia (MP) highlighted 10 special trains serving Bhopal, Itarsi, Bina and 30 stations overall, linking MP to 10 states and Delhi for the festival return. ETV Bharat Hindi covered a Surat (Udhna)–Ayodhya Cant special via Kota with confirmed tickets available.
Context & numbers
- 1,053 special train trips for Diwali–Chhath and 13 pairs (282 trips) running till end-November.
- ~70,000 waitlisted Chhath passengers; 125 extra trains demanded.
- Sleeper Vande Bharat Delhi–Varanasi: 16 coaches, 823 berths, ~9:20 PM departure, possible Diwali launch.
- Economic Times notes infrastructure progress is shrinking big-route travel times — Delhi–Mumbai targeted to fall from 33 hours to 12, Delhi–Katra from 14 hours to 6.
On the radar
- Vijayawada: a fire broke out under a Vande Bharat coach (C4) at Vijayawada station on Sept 22–23; railway staff contained it. Watch for the inquiry findings.
- Northern Railway's 9 special trains start October 1 for Diwali–Chhath, per ABP — booking windows to watch.
- A Delhi–Supaul special via Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chhapra and Barauni with a full timetable was announced Sept 24.
- AajTak advises travellers on waitlist-confirmation tactics as regular trains sell out; Tatkal fights remain intense.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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