Patna: Train and flight bookings to Bihar have reached capacity as thousands travel to the state to celebrate Chhath Puja, causing fares to skyrocket. With no seats available on trains from other states and waiting lists already full, travellers are turning to flights, but rising airfares have added to the frustration.
The cost of flights to Patna from major cities has surged by 25% to 60%, with the fare from Delhi to Patna now hitting Rs. 23,000, and flights from Lucknow reaching close to Rs. 25,000.
In response to the heavy demand, Indian Railways is running special trains to accommodate the influx of passengers travelling to Bihar for the festival. Despite this, trains like the Rajdhani, Tejas, Sampoorna Kranti Express, and Garib Rath—operating between Bihar and cities like Delhi—remain fully booked.
To ease the pressure, a special train from Delhi to Patna has begun operating from November 2, according to East Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Saraswati Chandra.
Bihar’s capital Patna is seeing a major increase in air traffic as well. Indigo and SpiceJet have introduced additional services to cope with the surge in passengers. Currently, there are 16 daily flights from Patna to Delhi, seven to Bengaluru, five to Kolkata, and several to other major cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Lucknow.
Indigo has added six pairs of new flights, while SpiceJet has launched 10 pairs of additional services, which will operate until 15 November to meet the demands of the festive season.
To further alleviate the rush, East Central Railway has announced over 100 special trains during Diwali and Chhath Puja. Additionally, 15 more pairs of special trains will run until January 2 to manage the ongoing festive traffic.
Even with these measures, most trains remain fully booked. A special Vande Bharat Express service from Delhi to Patna has also been introduced, but waiting lists continue to build on this service as well.
