The Indian Railway has announced plans to operate 200 special trains during the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals across India in 2024.
The Ministry of Railways has announced that over 120 special trains will operate on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, with a list of ‘Festival Special Trains’ shared on X.
Vineet Abhishek, the Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, announced that special train services will operate alongside the regular trains already running on these routes.
Kind Attention to All Passengers!
Here’s the list of Festival Special Trains set to operate on 29th October 2024. pic.twitter.com/NiJtg01gcj
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 28, 2024
Of these, the Mumbai Division will oversee around 40 trains, including 22 trains that travel to popular tourist destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha, as stated in the press release by the department.
Check the full list of ‘Festival Special Trains 2024’ here:
| Train No. | Origin Station | Departure Time | Destination Station | Arrival Time | Days of Run | Period |
| Train 02252 | New Delhi | 08:25 | Patna Jn | 20:00 | Wed, Fri, Sun | 30th Oct– 6th Nov |
| Train 02251 | Patna Jn | 07:30 | New Delhi | 19:00 | Thurs, Sat, Mon | 31st Oct–7th Nov |
| Train 04096 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 09:00 | Ayodhya Cantt | 22:00 | Mon, Wed, Fri | upto 18th Nov |
| Train 04095 | Ayodhya Cantt | 09:00 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 22:10 | Tues, Thurs, Sat | upto 19th Nov |
| Train 04519 | Gorakhpur | 22:05 | Chandigarh | 14:20 | Fri | 25th Oct–15th Nov |
| Train 04498 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 19:30 | Balia | 13:30 | Sun | upto 24th Nov |
| Train 04497 | Balia | 18:40 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 14:25 | Mon | upto 25th Nov |
Source: ixigo.com
Other festival special trains:
| Train No. | Origin Station | Departure Time | Destination Station | Arrival Time | Days of Run | Period |
| 2270 | Lucknow | 14:15 | Chhapra | 21:30 | 6 days except Tuesdays | 25th Oct – 8th Nov |
| 2269 | Chhapra | 23:00 | Lucknow | 6:30 | 6 days except Tuesdays | 25th Oct – 8th Nov |
| 2248 | New Delhi | 8:25 | Patna Jn | 20:30 | Tues, Thurs, Sat | 29th Oct – 5th Nov |
| 2247 | Patna Jn | 7:30 | New Delhi | 19:35 | Wed, Fri, Sun | 30th Oct – 6th Nov |
| 4052 | New Delhi | 14:20 | Jaynagar | 15:40 | Sat, Tues, Fri, Mon | 26th, 29th Oct & 1st, 4th Nov |
| 4051 | Jaynagar | 18:00 | New Delhi | 18:50 | Sun, Wed, Sat, Tues | 27th, 30th Oct & 2nd, 5th Nov |
| 4624 | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra | 23:45 | Varanasi Jn | 23:55 | Sun | Up to 17th Nov |
| 4623 | Varanasi Jn | 5:30 | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra | 11:25 | Tues | Up to 19th Nov |
| 4080 | New Delhi | 19:30 | Varanasi Jn | 9:45 | Mon, Thurs, Sat | 24th Oct – 16th Nov |
| 4079 | Varanasi Jn | 18:25 | New Delhi | 8:50 | Tues, Fri, Sun | 25th Oct – 17th Nov |
| 4530 | Bhatinda Jn | 8:50 | Varanasi Jn | 17:30 | Mon, Fri | 25th Oct – 15th Nov |
| 4529 | Varanasi Jn | 20:40 | Bhatinda Jn | 17:00 | Tues, Sat | 26th Oct – 16th Nov |
| 4518 | Chandigarh | 23:15 | Gorakhpur | 18:20 | Thurs | 24th Oct – 14th Nov |
| 4022 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 11:40 | Sitamarhi | 15:45 | Wed, Fri | Up to 29th Nov |
| 4021 | Sitamarhi | 18:00 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 18:05 | Thurs, Sat | Up to 30th Nov |
| 4032 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 5:15 | Saharsha Jn | 10:30 | 5 days except Wednesdays | Up to 30th Nov |
| 4031 | Saharsha Jn | 13:00 | Anand Vihar Terminal | 16:10 | 5 days except Thursdays | Up to 1st Dec |
| 4068 | Delhi Jn | 19:30 | Darbhanga Jn | 16:30 | Tues, Fri | 25th Oct – 15th Nov |
| 4067 | Darbhanga Jn | 18:00 | Delhi Jn | 16:35 | Wed, Sat | 26th Oct – 16th Nov |
Source: ixigo.com
Enhancing security and ticketing facilities:
To enhance passenger safety, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) are present around the clock.
Their focus is particularly strong in general and sleeper compartments for trains travelling to northern states.
The RPF and GRP have deployed plainclothes crime prevention and detection squads to monitor suspicious behaviour and combat theft effectively.
In light of the growing number of passengers, Western Railway has improved its ticketing services.
Key stations now feature more ticket counters and Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) operating in multiple shifts.
Medical teams are ready to assist in emergencies, and regular announcements are made to help manage the flow of queues.