Railway passengers planning to travel during the upcoming festival season have received some relief as the Railways has announced several special train services. With October and November bringing major festivals such as Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal, demand for train tickets is expected to remain high as workers and students travel to their hometowns.
To manage the seasonal rush, the Railways will operate additional special trains on several routes, including services connecting Delhi, Howrah, Prayagraj, Agra and Rajasthan.
New Delhi–Howrah Festival Special Train
The Railways has introduced a weekly special train between New Delhi and Howrah under train numbers 04052/04051. The service will operate from October 2 to November 27.
Train 04052 will leave New Delhi every Friday at 6:15 pm and travel through Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Etawah, Subedarganj, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Buxar, Patna, Kiul, Jhajha, Chittaranjan, Asansol, Durgapur and Bardhaman before reaching Howrah at 1:40 am on Sunday.
The return service, train 04051, will depart Howrah at 1:40 am on Sunday and arrive in New Delhi at 2:20 am on Tuesday.
The special train will have 16 coaches, including two AC coaches, eight Sleeper Class coaches, four General coaches and two SLRD coaches. It will complete nine trips in each direction between Delhi and Howrah.
Subedarganj–Bhagat Ki Kothi Special
According to Agra Railway Division Public Relations Officer Sanjay Kumar Gautam, train 04193 Subedarganj–Bhagat Ki Kothi Special will operate every Monday and Thursday from October 1 to November 30.
The train will depart Subedarganj at 7:25 pm and reach Agra Cantt at 4:35 am the following day, departing again at 4:50 am. From there, it will continue towards Bhagat Ki Kothi via Mathura, Alwar, Rajgarh, Bandikui, Dausa, Gandhinagar Jaipur, Jaipur, Phulera, Nawa City, Kuchaman City, Makrana, Degana, Merta Road, Gotan and Jodhpur.
The return service, 04194 Bhagat Ki Kothi–Subedarganj Special, will run every Tuesday and Friday from October 2 to December 1. It will leave Bhagat Ki Kothi at 8:40 pm and reach Agra Cantt at 9:00 am, departing at 9:05 am. The train will then proceed towards Subedarganj via Fatehabad, Etawah, Govindpuri and Fatehpur.
Prayagraj–Hazrat Nizamuddin Special Train
Another special service, train 04183 Prayagraj–Hazrat Nizamuddin Special, will operate every Tuesday from October 20 to December 1.
The train will depart Prayagraj at 3:25 pm and travel through Shankargarh, Dabhaura, Manikpur, Chitrakootdham, Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi, Gwalior and Dholpur before reaching Agra Cantt at 6:20 am. It will leave Agra Cantt at 6:25 am and continue via Mathura, Kosikalan and Palwal to Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Its return service, 04184 Hazrat Nizamuddin–Prayagraj Special, will operate every Wednesday from October 21 to December 2. It will depart Hazrat Nizamuddin at 3:45 pm and reach Agra Cantt at 7:05 pm, leaving at 7:10 pm. The train will then continue towards Prayagraj through Dholpur, Gwalior, Jhansi, Mauranipur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakootdham, Manikpur, Dabhaura and Shankargarh.