Indian Railways will run 1244 Holi Special train trips from Feb 25 to March 18 to manage the festive rush. These services aim to provide confirmed accommodation and will connect major cities and regional centres across the country.
Indian Railways has made elaborate arrangements to facilitate smooth, safe and comfortable travel for passengers during the upcoming Holi festival. To manage the anticipated surge in passenger traffic, 1244 Holi Special train trips will be operated across various Railway Zones for the Holi period from February 25 to March 18. The number may increase up to 1500 if more demand is observed. These special services will connect major cities, state capitals and important regional centres across the country, ensuring confirmed accommodation and reducing congestion on regular trains.
Key Routes and Connectivity
Key long-distance connections include Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur to destinations such as Danapur, Gorakhpur, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Samastipur and Barauni; Visakhapatnam, Puri and Bhubaneswar to Shalimar, Patna, Yesvantpur and Dhanbad; and major Bihar and Jharkhand hubs like Patna, Darbhanga, Saharsa and Dhanbad to New Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal, Chandigarh and SMVT Bengaluru. Eastern and Northern corridors will see enhanced connectivity between Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata and Malda Town with Raxaul, Madhubani, Gorakhpur and Anand Vihar Terminal, while Delhi region stations will be linked extensively with Varanasi, Lucknow, Ayodhya Cantt, Haridwar, Amritsar and Katihar. From the South, special services will connect MGR Chennai Central, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram North, Coimbatore, Secunderabad, Tirupati and SMVT Bengaluru with Patna, Barauni, Muzaffarpur, Santragachi, Ajmer, Jaipur and other northern and eastern centres. Western India, including Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Bandra Terminus, will have additional links to Kanpur, Katihar, Banaras, Gorakhpur, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur.
Zone-wise Breakdown of Holi Special Trains
As per the official information, with the objective of providing smooth, safe and comfortable travel during the Holi festival, Central Railway will operate several Holi Special trains from major stations including Mumbai (CSMT & Lokmanya Tilak Terminus), Pune and Nagpur to key destinations across North and East India. Central Railway to run 20 Holi Special Train Services with 129 trips.
East Coast Railway
East Coast Railway will operate Holi Special trains from Visakhapatnam, Puri and Bhubaneswar towards Eastern and Southern destinations. East Coast Railway to run 8 Holi Special Train Services with 62 trips.
East Central Railway
It is informed that East Central Railway will operate a large number of Holi Special trains connecting Bihar and Jharkhand with Delhi, Mumbai and South India. East Central Railway to run 50 Holi Special Train Services with 275 trips, whereas, Eastern Railway will operate several Holi Special trains from Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata, Malda Town, Dankuni and Asansol towards Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi region. Eastern Railway to run 22 Holi Special Train Services with 48 trips.
Northern Railway
Northern Railway will operate extensive Holi Special trains connecting the Delhi region with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Northern Railway to run 48 Holi Special Train Services with 204 trips.
North Central Railway
As per the information, North Central Railway has notified several Holi Special train services connecting Uttar Pradesh with Maharashtra and other key destinations. North Central Railway to run 16 Holi Special Train Services with 46 trips.
North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway will operate Holi Special trains connecting Lal Kuan, Mau, Rajkot, Amritsar, Gomti Nagar and Valsad. North Eastern Railway to run 12 Holi Special Train Services with 27 trips, whereas North Frontier Railway will operate Holi Special trains connecting Northeast India with Bihar and North India. North Frontier Railway to run 10 Holi Special Train Services with 29 Trips.
North Western Railway
To facilitate smooth travel during the Holi festival, North Western Railway will operate several Holi Special trains from the Rajasthan region, including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Hisar, Bikaner and Bhagat Ki Kothi towards major destinations across North and West India. North Western Railway to run 14 Holi Special Train Services with 28 trips.
South Central Railway
South Central Railway will operate Holi Special trains from Charlapalli, Tirupati, Secunderabad and Chandrapura towards North, East and Northeast India. South Central Railway to run 16 Holi Special Train Services with 40 trips.
South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway will operate Holi Special trains from Santragachi, Shalimar, Ranchi, Tatanagar, Hatia and Bhanjpur towards Eastern, Northern and Southern destinations. South Eastern Railway to run 28 Holi Special Train Services with 107 trips.
South East Central Railway
South East Central Railway will operate Holi Special trains from Bilaspur, Durg and Gondia towards North and South India. South East Central Railway to run 10 Holi Special Train Services with 14 trips.
Southern Railway
Southern Railway will operate Holi Special trains connecting Chennai, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore with North and East India. Southern Railway to run 12 Holi Special Train Services with 31 trips.
South Western Railway
South Western Railway will operate Holi Special trains from SMVT Bengaluru, Yesvantpur and Mysuru to East and North India. South Western Railway to run 8 Holi Special Train Services with 21 trips.
West Central Railway
West Central Railway will operate Holi Special trains from Jabalpur, Kota, Rewa and Rani Kamlapati towards West, South and Northeast India. West Central Railway to run 18 Holi Special Train Services with 43 trips.
Western Railway
Western Railway will operate a large number of Holi Special trains from Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Valsad, Sabarmati and Udhna towards Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Western Railway to run 32 Holi Special Train Services with 120 trips.
Konkan Railway
Konkan Railway will operate Holi Special trains connecting Madgaon, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Chiplun and Diva. Konkan Railway to run 4 Holi Special Train Services with 20 trips.
Proactive Planning for Passenger Convenience
With these extensive arrangements across zones, Indian Railways is ensuring enhanced connectivity, adequate accommodation and a smooth, safe and comfortable travel experience for passengers during Holi 2026. The large-scale operation of special services reflects Indian Railways' proactive planning to manage festive rush efficiently and minimise inconvenience to regular commuters. By strengthening connectivity between major cities, state capitals and regional centres, these measures are set to ease congestion and facilitate timely travel for lakhs of passengers celebrating the festival across the country. (ANI)
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