Chhath Rush Sparks Railway Rush! Special Trains Added as Bihar-Bound Passengers Struggle for Tickets

New Delhi: With Chhath Puja approaching, Indian Railways has stepped up its arrangements to manage the massive rush of passengers travelling to Bihar. A sharp increase in demand has pushed waiting lists on several popular trains beyond 150, leaving thousands of passengers struggling to secure confirmed tickets for their festive journeys.

The scale of the rush was evident on November 6, when 37,698 tickets were purchased for trains departing from Udhna in Gujarat towards Jaynagar in Bihar's Madhubani district. Passengers reportedly began arriving at the station 12 to 14 hours before their scheduled departures, highlighting the pressure on the railway network during the festive season.

Several popular Bihar-bound services, including the Sampoorna Kranti Express and Tejas Rajdhani, have reported no availability for fresh bookings on certain dates. The New Delhi-Ranchi Garib Rath Express has also witnessed waiting lists exceeding 200 for some journeys.

To ease the situation, Indian Railways has announced additional special services connecting Bihar with Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Coimbatore. The railway authorities have also extended the running period of selected festival special trains and introduced one-way services to accommodate passengers travelling home for the celebrations.

Among the latest announcements, train number 05281 will operate between Muzaffarpur and Anand Vihar Terminal. It will depart Muzaffarpur at 6.30 am on November 18 and reach Delhi at 5 am the following day. The return service, train number 05282, will leave Anand Vihar at 7 am on November 19 and arrive in Muzaffarpur at 4.50 am on November 21.

Railways has also extended the Ramnagar-Patliputra weekly special service, with an additional journey scheduled for November 28. Its return service will operate on November 29.

For passengers travelling from Maharashtra, a 20-coach special train between Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Gorakhpur has also been operated. Meanwhile, Southern Railway has introduced additional services connecting Chennai and Coimbatore with destinations such as Darbhanga, Barauni and Raxaul.

The rush is not limited to long-distance routes. East Central Railway has announced 103 pairs of special trains as of November 3, connecting North Bihar with major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Howrah and Punjab.

Chhath Puja is one of Bihar's most significant festivals, drawing large numbers of migrant workers, students and families back to their hometowns. With demand continuing to remain high, passengers have been advised to check train schedules, running dates and ticket availability through official railway channels before travelling.

The additional services are expected to provide some relief, although the challenge of accommodating the enormous festive passenger rush remains.