Diwali 2026: Check List Of Festival Special Trains, Routes, Stops And Timings

Much like last year, the railways has announced festival special trains ahead of Diwali, with bookings now open. With the festival of light still a few weeks away, people planning to travel back home for Diwali can start making reservations. The Southern Railway has announced new festive special trains connecting Kanpur Central and SMVT Bengaluru.

Train No. 04131, operating from Kanpur Central to SMVT Bengaluru, will run on Sundays from October 4 at 4:30 pm. Its return service, Train No. 04132, will operate from SMVT Bengaluru to Kanpur Central on Wednesdays from October 7 at 7:10 am.

The key stoppages are Kanpur Central, Prayagraj, Satna, Itarsi, Nagpur, Vijayawada, Nellore, Renigunta, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Krishnarajapuram, SMVT Bengaluru.

???? New Festive Special Trains! Kanpur Central ⇄ SMVT Bengaluru

04131: Kanpur Central – SMVT Bengaluru, Sundays from 4th Oct, 16.30 hrs
04132: SMVT Bengaluru – Kanpur Central, Wednesdays from 7th Oct, 07.10 hrs

Via Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Nellore & more. Connecting cities this… pic.twitter.com/ELsG52UVIY

— Southern Railway (@GMSRailway) September 7, 2026

Festive Special Trains 2026

To meet the increased demand during the festive season, the Northern Railway has also announced it will run several Festive Special Trains 2026, covering several high-demand corridors. The services will link destinations across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

The announced services include trains connecting Varanasi with Delhi, Ayodhya Cantt with Anand Vihar, Chandigarh with Patna, Firozpur Cantt with Patna and Anand Vihar with Patliputra, among other routes.

During the upcoming festival season, Railways have decided to run the following #FestivalSpecialTrains as per the details given below: pic.twitter.com/G2DWMDromG

— Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) September 6, 2026

Varanasi-Delhi Festival Special Train

One of the announced services is Train Nos. 04209/04210 Varanasi Jn.-Delhi Jn.-Varanasi Jn., which will operate as a reserved Festival Special Express. The service is scheduled for 50 trips.

On the Varanasi-Delhi run, Train No. 04209 will leave at 10:15 pm and arrive in Delhi at 1:45 pm the following day. The return train, 04210, will start from Delhi at 6:50 pm and reach Varanasi at 9:50 am.

The service will run on specified Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October 2 to November 27, while the return journey will operate on specified Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between October 3 and November 28.

Passengers will have AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper and General accommodation options.

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Ayodhya Cantt-Anand Vihar Festival Special Train 

Northern Railway has also planned train nos. 04213/04214 Ayodhya Cantt-Anand Vihar (T)-Ayodhya Cantt for the festive period. The service will operate for 36 trips.

Train No. 04213, on the other hand, will begin its journey from Ayodhya Cantt at 6:20 pm, reaching Anand Vihar at 6:10 am. In the opposite direction, Train No. 04214 will leave Anand Vihar at 9 am and reach Ayodhya Cantt at 10 pm.

The services will operate on specified days between October 1 and November 30.

Trains Connecting Chandigarh and Firozpur with Patna 

Passengers travelling between Punjab, Chandigarh and Bihar will also have additional options. Train Nos. 04512/04511 Chandigarh-Patna Jn.-Chandigarh will operate weekly and make 18 trips. The train will connect Chandigarh and Patna, with stoppages including Ambala Cantt., Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn., Buxar, Ara and Danapur.

Another train, 04616/04615 Firozpur Cantt Jn-Patna Jn-Firozpur Cantt Jn, is scheduled for 16 trips. The service will include stops at Moga, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt., Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn., Buxar, Ara and Danapur, among others.

More Festival Special Trains During Diwali Season

Northern Railway has also listed the following trains for the festive season:

• 02456/02455 New Delhi-Kanpur Central-New Delhi: 98 trips
• 04014/04013 Anand Vihar (T)-Laukaha Bazar-Anand Vihar (T): 150 trips
• 04002/04001 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Dadar-Hazrat Nizamuddin: 14 trips
• 04227/04228 Varanasi-Chandigarh-Varanasi: 36 trips
• 04008/04007 Anand Vihar (T)-Jogbani-Anand Vihar (T): 10 trips
• 04028/04027 Anand Vihar (T)-Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar (T): 26 trips
• 04010/04009 Delhi Jn-Sitamarhi-Delhi Jn.: 12 trips
• 02458/02457 Anand Vihar (T)-Kanpur Central-Anand Vihar (T): 72 trips
• 04314/04313 Yog Nagari Rishikesh-Muzaffarpur-Yog Nagari Rishikesh: 18 trips
• 04096/04095 Anand Vihar (T)-Patliputra-Anand Vihar (T): 120 trips

Also Read: Indian May Soon Have Hydrogen Trains Running At 110 Kmph, Says Railway Official

Once the reservation window opens for a particular journey, passengers can check train timings and berth availability through the official railway booking channels.

For railway-related assistance and complaints, passengers can contact RailMadad on 139. The NTES app is another source of information on railway services.