Northern Railway plans to operate more than 6,200 special train trips during this year’s festive season, marking an increase of around 30 per cent from the 4,666 trips run during the corresponding period last year. The expanded services are intended to meet an anticipated rise in passenger demand as people travel to their hometowns and religious destinations.

As part of its preparations, Northern Railway has regularised 42 new trains, which will operate 2,600 trips during the festive period. It has also announced 3,600 additional trips, bringing the planned number of special-train journeys to more than 6,200. The combined arrangement is intended to provide extra capacity when demand is higher than during ordinary travel periods.

The special services will link Delhi and other major cities with important destinations across the country. Listed routes include Delhi–Patna Vande Bharat, Shakur Basti–Darbhanga, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi–Varanasi, Chandigarh–Patna, Anand Vihar–Patliputra and New Delhi–Howrah. Other routes include Kolkata–Yog Nagari Rishikesh, Amritsar–Barauni, New Delhi–Danapur, Delhi–Kamakhya, Delhi–Gaya and Amritsar–Jaynagar.

The additional services cover connections between the national capital, eastern India, northern religious destinations and several major cities. The route plan is expected to give passengers more choices for reaching key destinations during the festive rush, while distributing demand across a larger number of trains.

The expanded operation will also support passengers travelling during a period when regular services face increased pressure. Northern Railway said the arrangements were being made to facilitate passenger movement and ensure safer and more comfortable journeys. The increase over last year’s special-train operations reflects the zone’s effort to respond to the seasonal surge in travel and accommodate more passengers on inter-city and long-distance routes.