HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 21: Indian Railways (IR) has ramped up operations to meet the surge in passenger demand during the ongoing festive season.
To ensure smooth travel during Puja, Diwali, and Chhath, the national transporter is operating 12,011 special trains this year, a substantial increase from 7,724 special trains during the same period last year.
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In the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone, 48 special festival trains are running, covering a total of 620 trips across multiple routes between September and December 2025.
Special arrangements have been made at major stations, including Katihar, New Jalpaiguri, Guwahati, Jogbani, and Kishanganj, with holding areas, passenger announcement systems, fans, additional ticket counters, and automatic ticket vending machines to ensure smooth passenger movement.
Round-the-clock war rooms and extra staff, including Railway Protection Force personnel, have been deployed for effective crowd management and passenger assistance.
These special trains connect important destinations such as Katihar, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, Sonpur, Dauram Madhepura, Agartala, New Tinsukia, SMVT Bengaluru, Amritsar, Patna, Dibrugarh, Gorakhpur, Silchar, Naharlagun, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ranchi, Charalapalli, Mumbai Central, Agra Cantt, Jogbani, Lumding, Howrah, Gomti Nagar, and Anand Vihar, among others. On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, trains scheduled include the Dibrugarh – Gorakhpur Weekly Special, departing Dibrugarh at 09:10 hours and arriving at Gorakhpur at 19:00 hours, the Katihar – Amritsar Weekly Special, departing Katihar at 21:00 hours and arriving at Amritsar at 09:45 hours, the Katihar – Dauram Madhepura Daily Special, departing Katihar at 19:00 hours and arriving at Dauram Madhepura at 22:00 hours, the Dauram Madhepura – Katihar Daily Special, departing Dauram Madhepura at 22:45 hours and arriving at Katihar at 02:30 hours, the Katihar – Manihari Daily Special, departing Katihar at 20:30 hours and arriving at Manihari at 21:30 hours, and the Manihari – Katihar Daily Special, departing Manihari at 05:00 hours and arriving at Katihar at 06:00 hours.
Passengers have been advised to plan their journeys in advance, arrive at stations early, and cooperate with railway staff to ensure safe and comfortable travel during the festive season.
The extensive deployment of special trains and enhanced station arrangements reflect Indian Railways’ commitment to providing uninterrupted and hassle-free travel for millions of passengers during the peak festive period.
