Railways may run nearly 13,000 special trains this festive season

The Indian Railways will operate some 13,000 special trains this festive season, nearly double from a year ago, in a bid to ease passenger rush. It has also been decided to make permanent holding areas at 76 high footfall railway stations such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Howrah, to better manage crowds round the clock, a senior official told ET. In addition to these, the national transporter is evaluating measures to improve meal quality for passengers in long-haul trains through private participation in cloud kitchens.

“We may end up running around 13,000 special train services this festive season,” a senior official told ET, adding this is around 8 to 9% higher than projections made for Chhath and Diwali festive season in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

These special trains are expected to facilitate transport of around 20-30 million passengers. The Indian Railways operated 7,724 special trains last fiscal year to enable higher passenger movement, which typically occurs between October 15 and November 15.


Earlier this week, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said over 10 million passengers have already travelled via Indian Railways from the national capital in special trains this festive season, averaging at 450,000 passengers every day.

Officials said the permanent holding areas will have ticketing counters, basic first aid facilities, and washrooms. “Access control at stations through holding areas will clamp down on ticketless train travel, significantly improving passenger experience,” the official said.

These permanent holding areas will also be in railway stations across Lucknow, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, and Patna, and Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Tirupati, and Ujjain, among others.

Commenting on steps being taken to improve the quality of meals in trains, the official said private players are being roped in for cloud kitchen operations. These improved meals services will be offered through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).