Over 2.5 crore passengers likely to travel by trains this festive season, says Railways

On October 25, a total of 3,51,221 outward passengers boarded trains from six major stations in the Delhi area – New Delhi, Delhi Junction, Anand Vihar Terminal, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Shakurbasti, and Ghaziabad — marking a 7.86 per cent increase compared to the same day last year (the fifth day after Diwali, November 5, 2024), according to release issued by Northern Railway zone.

Festival special train 2025

To ensure smooth and comfortable journey during Durga puja, Diwali and Chhath, the national transporter is operating more than 12,000 special trains across the country. It also planned to run 6,181 special trains to facilitate passengers returning to their workplaces after the Chhath Puja festivities.

“In recent years, significant investment in railway infrastructure has led to remarkable progress. The number of special trains, which were only a few hundred earlier, has now risen to a record-breaking number. Track construction has also increased significantly, from just 400–600 km per year about a decade back to over 4,000 km per year today,” it said.

Holding areas at railway stations

Railways also developed temporary holding areas at 30 stations in Bihar to handle festive rush. Some of the stations where holding areas have been established include Patna, Danapur, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Samastipur, Barauni etc. in Bihar and Gorakhpur, Ballia and Banaras in Uttar Pradesh.