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Diwali 2026 is still a few weeks away, but railway passengers planning to travel home need to make their plans early. As Diwali will be celebrated on November 8, 2026, train ticket reservations for journeys around Diwali opened on September 6. Passengers can normally book tickets up to 60 days
before the journey, excluding the date of travel. The reservation window opens at 8 am. However, the booking date depends on the actual journey date, so passengers should check the reservation opening date for their chosen train.
Diwali Special Trains
The festive season usually brings heavy demand on railway routes connecting major cities with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and other states. Busy routes expected to see strong demand include Delhi Patna, Patna Ahmedabad, Patna Udhna, Mumbai Patna, Howrah Patna, Bengaluru Patna, Firozpur Patna, Varanasi Delhi, Kanpur Delhi, Ludhiana Supaul, Ludhiana Patna, Chennai Patna, Hyderabad Patna and Delhi Gorakhpur.
To manage the rush, Northern Railway has announced several Festival Special Trains for 2026. These services will connect Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and other regions.
Train Nos. 04209 and 04210 Varanasi Delhi Varanasi will operate as a reserved Festival Special Express for 50 trips. Train 04209 will leave Varanasi at 10:15 pm and reach Delhi at 1:45 pm the next day. Train 04210 will depart Delhi at 6:50 pm and arrive in Varanasi at 9:50 am. The services will run on specified Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October 2 to November 27, with return services on specified Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from October 3 to November 28. AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper and General accommodation will be available.
Train Nos. 04213 and 04214 Ayodhya Cantt Anand Vihar will make 36 trips. Train 04213 will leave Ayodhya Cantt at 6:20 pm and reach Anand Vihar at 6:10 am, while 04214 will depart Anand Vihar at 9 am and arrive at Ayodhya Cantt at 10 pm. These trains will operate on specified days between October 1 and November 30.
The 04512 and 04511 Chandigarh Patna Chandigarh service will run weekly for 18 trips, stopping at Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn, Buxar, Ara and Danapur. The 04616 and 04615 Firozpur Cantt Patna service will make 16 trips, with halts including Moga, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn, Buxar, Ara and Danapur.
Other special services include New Delhi Kanpur Central with 98 trips, Anand Vihar Laukaha Bazar with 150 trips, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dadar with 14 trips, Varanasi Chandigarh with 36 trips, Anand Vihar Jogbani with 10 trips, Anand Vihar Muzaffarpur with 26 trips, Delhi Sitamarhi with 12 trips, Anand Vihar Kanpur Central with 72 trips, Yog Nagari Rishikesh Muzaffarpur with 18 trips and Anand Vihar Patliputra with 120 trips.
Advisory for Passengers
Passengers should check train numbers, journey dates, boarding points, destinations, timings, and berth availability before booking. Railway assistance and complaints can be made through RailMadad at 139, while the NTES app can be used for train-related information.