North Central Railway to run 1,053 festival special trains from October 1

North Central Railway (NCR) has announced 1,053 special train trips to manage the expected passenger rush during the upcoming festive season. The services, operated as Trains on Demand (TODs), will run from October 1 to November 30, covering a 61-day period that spans Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath.

The special trains are intended to help passengers who may not secure confirmed tickets on regular services travel to their hometowns for the festivals. According to Dr Shivam Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NCR, the list of services may be expanded further if passenger demand rises.

The trains will connect a wide range of destinations, including Kolkata, Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, New Delhi, Palwal, Anand Vihar Terminal, Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi Junction, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Gwalior, Dadri, Pune, Hadapsar, Khajuraho, Tiruchanur and Agra Cantonment. Frequencies will vary, with some services running once during the period and others operating once or twice a week.

Among the routes announced are services linking Agra Cantonment with Kolkata, Kanpur Central with Kolkata, and Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi Junction with Asansol. Several trains will connect Prayagraj and Kanpur with destinations such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Guwahati. Daily services are also planned on some high-demand routes, including Prayagraj to Sainagar Shirdi and Agra Cantonment to Palwal.

Sharma said NCR is committed to providing a safe and comfortable journey during the festive season. The zone is closely monitoring waiting lists across routes and analysing booking data and passenger demand received through various platforms to plan additional special trains.

He added that special focus is being placed on crowd management at stations, with additional commercial and RPF staff deployed to assist passengers. Cleanliness remains another priority area, particularly in view of the ongoing Swachhata Abhiyan, he said.