Patna: With Diwali set to be celebrated on November 8 this year, the annual rush of migrant workers and residents returning to Bihar has begun, with railway ticket bookings witnessing a sharp surge.
As soon as the booking window opened on the IRCTC website for travel on November 6, several trains from different parts of the country to Patna reportedly reached the ‘No Room’ status within 30 minutes. Tickets in AC, Economy and Sleeper classes were booked rapidly.
Around 12 major trains operating from Delhi towards Patna and other destinations in Bihar have already seen their available berths filled for November 6. These include the Tejas Rajdhani Express, Sampoorna Kranti Express, Vikramshila Express, Shramjeevi Express, Magadh Express, Poorva Express, Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, North East Express, Seemanchal Express, Sanghamitra Express and Amrit Bharat Express, among others.
For journeys from November 1 to 5, several trains are already showing waiting lists ranging from 50 to 250 passengers across Sleeper, Economy and AC classes.
Over 24,000 Delhi-Patna tickets booked
According to the information available, more than 24,000 confirmed reservation tickets were booked on major Delhi-Patna trains for travel on November 6. Around 10,000 waiting-list tickets have also reportedly been booked, with the waiting-list quota itself reaching capacity.
The rush is not limited to Delhi. Trains connecting Bihar with Mumbai, Surat, Pune, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are also witnessing heavy demand as passengers plan their journey home for Diwali and the subsequent Chhath Puja festivities.
No announcement yet on special trains and buses
The travel rush has raised concerns over the availability of additional transportation arrangements during the festive season.
During the Diwali-Chhath period in 2025, the Railways operated around 600 train trips to and from Bihar, while the state Transport Department operated around 200 special buses. These services connected Bihar with major migrant destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Surat and Haryana.
However, no announcement has so far been made this year by the Railways or the state Transport Department regarding a similar large-scale arrangement of special trains or buses, according to the information available.
With Diwali and Chhath expected to trigger another major seasonal migration towards Bihar, passengers are likely to face continued pressure on confirmed railway berths in the coming weeks.
Trains showing ‘No Room’ for November 6
The trains reported to have reached the ‘No Room’ status for November 6 include:
- Tejas Rajdhani Express
- Sampoorna Kranti Express
- Vikramshila Express
- Shramjeevi Express
- Magadh Express
- Poorva Express
- Baba Baidyanath Dham Deoghar Superfast Express
- Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express
- North East Express
- Seemanchal Express
- Patna Express
- Sanghamitra Express
- Mahananda Express
- Amrit Bharat Express
