Diwali may still be weeks away but for anyone planning to travel home for the festival, the booking rush has already begun. Reservations for journeys around
Diwali 2026 opened on September 6, giving passengers a head start before demand picks up closer to the festival date. For the unversed, Diwali falls on November 8, 2026. Under the normal railway booking rule, passengers can reserve tickets up to 60 days before their journey date, not counting the day of travel itself. The booking window opens every day at 8 am. Since the opening date for booking depends on when you plan to travel, not every Diwali journey becomes bookable on the same day. It is always worth checking the exact reservation opening date for your specific train and route instead of assuming everyone can book at once.
More Information
Festive season travel puts heavy pressure on some of the country's busiest railway corridors. Passengers heading to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and nearby states are expected to compete hard for berths on popular trains connecting these regions to major cities.
Also Read: Choosing Kyoto In Fall Over Spring? Travel Influencer Lina Irwanto Has The Perfect Itinerary
Routes likely to see the most 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. If you are travelling on any of these trains, check when your booking window opens and be ready to log in the moment it does.
Railways Rolls Out Special Trains
To ease the pressure, Northern Railway has announced a set of Festival Special Trains for 2026, covering high-demand routes across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and other states.One of the key services is the Varanasi-Delhi train (04209/04210), running as a reserved Festival Special Express for 50 trips. Train 04209 leaves Varanasi at 10:15 pm and reaches Delhi by 1:45 pm the next day. The return train, 04210, departs Delhi at 6:50 pm and reaches Varanasi at 9:50 am. The outward run operates on select Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October 2 to November 27, while the return runs on select Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from October 3 to November 28. It offers AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper and General coaches.
Another important service is the Ayodhya Cantt-Anand Vihar train (04213/04214), scheduled for 36 trips between October 1 and November 30. Train 04213 leaves Ayodhya Cantt at 6:20 pm and reaches Anand Vihar at 6:10 am, while 04214 leaves Anand Vihar at 9 am and reaches Ayodhya Cantt at 10 pm.
Also Read: 6,000 Litres Of Urine A Day: How Human Waste Is Threatening Mount Everest's Glaciers
For passengers connecting Punjab, Chandigarh and Bihar, the Chandigarh-Patna train (04512/04511) will run weekly for 18 trips, with halts at Ambala Cantt, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn, Buxar, Ara and Danapur. The Firozpur Cantt-Patna train (04616/04615) will run for 16 trips, stopping at similar stations including Moga and Ludhiana.
Other notable special trains include New Delhi-Kanpur Central (98 trips), Anand Vihar-Laukaha Bazar (150 trips), Anand Vihar-Jogbani (10 trips), Anand Vihar-Muzaffarpur (26 trips), Delhi Jn-Sitamarhi (12 trips), Anand Vihar-Kanpur Central (72 trips), Yog Nagari Rishikesh-Muzaffarpur (18 trips), and Anand Vihar-Patliputra (120 trips).
Things To Check Before Booking A Train
Once your reservation window opens, make sure you check the train timings and seat availability. Also, before making payment, double-check the train number, date of journey, boarding point and destination.For any railway-related help or complaints, passengers can call RailMadad on 139, or use the NTES app for updates on train status.
