New Delhi: Indian Railways will operate 138 special trains across nine railway zones to manage the surge in passenger demand during Christmas and New Year. A total of 650 trips have been proposed and approved for these special services, the Ministry of Railways said in an official statement. So far, notifications have been issued for 244 trips. Western Railway accounts for the highest number, with 26 special trains planned. Central Railway will operate 18 trains, while South Central Railway has also planned 26 trains.
South East Central Railway will run 12 special trains during the festive period. The Railways said these additional services are aimed at increasing capacity and ensuring smoother travel, allowing passengers to plan their Christmas and New Year journeys with greater convenience and comfort.
Distribution across railway zones
Western Railway will operate 26 special trains with 226 approved trips, of which 72 trips have already been notified. Central Railway has planned 18 trains with 118 approved trips, and 76 trips have been notified so far.
South Central Railway will run 26 trains with 34 approved trips, out of which 26 have been notified. South East Central Railway will operate 12 trains with 82 approved trips, with notifications issued for 24 trips.
South Western Railway has planned 20 special trains with 42 approved trips, of which 28 trips have been notified. North Western Railway will operate 14 trains with 72 approved trips, and six trips have been notified so far. Northern Railway has planned 18 trains with 66 approved trips, with eight trips notified.
The North Eastern Railway has proposed two special trains with six approved trips, though notifications are yet to be issued. The Northeast Frontier Railway has planned two trains, and all four approved trips have already been notified.
Focus on high-demand routes
To manage heavy demand on popular routes, daily and weekly special trains are being operated on the Mumbai-Goa Konkan corridor between Mumbai CSMT or Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Karmali or Madgaon. These trains cover major halts and provide additional sleeper and reserved accommodation.
Special services are also running on routes such as Mumbai-Nagpur and Pune-Sanganer, along with other high-traffic corridors in Maharashtra.
Improved connectivity nationwide
In northern and eastern India, additional trains are operating on busy routes connecting cities like Delhi, Howrah and Lucknow, supporting long-distance festive travel.
In southern and central regions, extra services connecting Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mangaluru and other cities have been introduced. These include trains such as CSMT-Karmali, Karmali-CSMT, LTT-Thiruvananthapuram, Pune-Sanganer and CSMT-Nagpur, each scheduled for multiple trips to meet peak-season demand.
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