Diwali 2026 is still weeks away, but railway passengers looking to travel home for the festival can start planning their journeys now. Diwali train ticket booking begins on September 6, 2026, giving passengers an opportunity to secure confirmed berths before the festive-season rush intensifies.
Diwali will be celebrated on November 8, 2026. Under the Indian Railways advance reservation system, tickets can generally be booked up to 60 days before the journey, excluding the date of travel. The reservation window opened at 8 am.
Passengers planning their Diwali journey can book tickets from September 6, depending on their date of travel and the applicable advance reservation period.
Indian Railways has also urged passengers to make their reservations early. Advance booking can help travellers plan their journeys better and avoid the uncertainty and rush associated with last-minute bookings.
The key details for passengers are:
Diwali 2026: November 8
Advance reservation begins: September 6, 2026
Ticket booking time: 8 am
Advance reservation period: Up to 60 days before the journey, excluding the date of travel
Passengers should check the availability for their specific journey before making travel plans, as booking dates vary according to the actual date of travel.
Festive travel typically puts considerable pressure on major routes connecting large cities with towns and cities across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and other states.
Routes that can see high demand include Delhi-Patna, Patna-Ahmedabad, Patna-Udhna, Mumbai-Patna, Howrah-Patna, Bengaluru-Patna, Firozpur-Patna, Varanasi-Delhi, Kanpur-Delhi, Ludhiana-Supaul, Ludhiana-Patna, Chennai-Patna, Hyderabad-Patna and Delhi-Gorakhpur, among others.
Passengers travelling on these routes may want to check availability as soon as their reservation window opens.
To meet the expected rise in passenger demand during the festive season, Northern Railway has announced several Festival Special Trains-2026.
These include services connecting Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and other destinations. The special trains cover routes such as Varanasi-Delhi, Ayodhya Cantt-Anand Vihar, Chandigarh-Patna, Firozpur Cantt-Patna and Anand Vihar-Patliputra.
Train Nos. 04209/04210 Varanasi Jn.-Delhi Jn.-Varanasi Jn. will operate as a reserved Festival Special Express with 50 trips.
Train 04209 will depart Varanasi at 10:15 pm and arrive in Delhi at 1:45 pm the following day. Train 04210 will depart Delhi at 6:50 pm and arrive at Varanasi at 9:50 am.
The service will operate on specified Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October 2 to November 27, while the return service will run on specified Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from October 3 to November 28.
The train will have AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper and General accommodation.
Train Nos. 04213/04214 Ayodhya Cantt-Anand Vihar (T)-Ayodhya Cantt. will operate for 36 trips.
Train 04213 will depart Ayodhya Cantt. at 6:20 pm and reach Anand Vihar at 6:10 am. Train 04214 will depart Anand Vihar at 9 am and arrive at Ayodhya Cantt. at 10 pm.
The services will operate on specified days between October 1 and November 30.
Train Nos. 04512/04511 Chandigarh-Patna Jn.-Chandigarh will run as a weekly Festival Special for 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.
Meanwhile, Train Nos. 04616/04615 Firozpur Cantt. Jn.-Patna Jn.-Firozpur Cantt. Jn. will run for 16 trips. The service will include stoppages at Moga, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt., Saharanpur, Roorkee, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Varanasi, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn., Buxar, Ara and Danapur, among others.
Northern Railway has also listed several other services for the festive season:
02456/02455 New Delhi-Kanpur Central-New Delhi โ 98 trips
04014/04013 Anand Vihar (T)-Laukaha Bazar-Anand Vihar (T) โ 150 trips
04002/04001 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Dadar-Hazrat Nizamuddin โ 14 trips
04227/04228 Varanasi-Chandigarh-Varanasi โ 36 trips
04008/04007 Anand Vihar (T)-Jogbani-Anand Vihar (T) โ 10 trips
04028/04027 Anand Vihar (T)-Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar (T) โ 26 trips
04010/04009 Delhi Jn.-Sitamarhi-Delhi Jn. โ 12 trips
02458/02457 Anand Vihar (T)-Kanpur Central-Anand Vihar (T) โ 72 trips
04314/04313 Yog Nagari Rishikesh-Muzaffarpur-Yog Nagari Rishikesh โ 18 trips
04096/04095 Anand Vihar (T)-Patliputra-Anand Vihar (T) โ 120 trips
Passengers can check train schedules and seat availability while making their reservations through the official railway booking channels. They should verify the train number, date, boarding station and destination carefully before completing the booking.
For information related to railway services and complaints, passengers can also contact the RailMadad helpline on 139 or use the NTES app.
With Diwali being one of the busiest travel periods of the year, popular trains and convenient travel dates can fill up quickly. Passengers travelling to their hometowns should therefore check their applicable reservation date and make bookings as early as possible.
The festival special trains announced by Northern Railway could also provide additional options for passengers struggling to find seats on regular services.
