Bihar sees surge in flights and trains ahead of Diwali and Chhath festivals

Patna: With the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals, transport authorities have increased the number of flights and trains to accommodate the influx of passengers traveling to Bihar. The new winter schedule for 49 pairs of flights from Patna Airport will be in effect from October 27, 2024 to March 29, 2025. Additionally, East Central Railways (ECR) has announced more than 100 special trains, with 15 more pairs added until 2 January to manage the heavy demand.

As Bihar-bound trains from major cities like Delhi— including the Rajdhani, Tejas, Sampoorna Kranti Express, and Garib Rath—are fully booked, passengers are turning to special trains. Even the special Vande Bharat Express from Delhi to Patna has only waiting list tickets available.

To ensure smooth travel, Indian Railways has organised special services, including 3,144 trips of Puja special trains across routes from New Delhi to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam. Northern Railway is running 65 trains from Delhi daily, with around 120,000 additional berths being made available over a 13-day period. Additionally, regular trains will operate 123 extra trips, with 49 additional coaches attached to key trains.

For passengers without reserved tickets, special trains will offer extra capacity for approximately 54,000 travellers. Key trains, including Bihar Sampark Kranti (12566), Sampoorna Kranti (12394), Vaishali (12554), and Purushottam Express (12802), will depart from platform 16 at New Delhi Railway Station. In a first, a separate entry gate has been built for unreserved passengers on platform 16 to manage crowds.

Efforts to control crowds will extend to footbridges connecting the station to the metro. The railways have worked with the Delhi Metro to ensure crowd management at key stations, including New Delhi, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal, and Hazrat Nizamuddin.

Several special trains have been introduced, including services between Hubli and Muzaffarpur, and SMVT Bengaluru and Danapur. The Hubli-Muzaffarpur Puja Special (07373) will depart on 27 October, while the return service (07374) will leave Muzaffarpur on October 30. The SMVT Bengaluru-Danapur Puja Special (06235) will operate from November 3, with the return journey (06236) scheduled for November 9.

However, winter fog will affect services, with 50 express trains, including the Patliputra-Lucknow Express, cancelled between December 1 and February 28. The operation of 24 additional trains will be reduced, and two services partially cancelled.

Meanwhile, Patna Airport will see a rise in flight numbers, with 49 pairs now scheduled, compared to 33 previously. From November 12, Vistara’s two flights will merge with Air India, as Vistara discontinues operations from November 11. Indigo has added six new flight pairs, while SpiceJet has introduced 10 pairs, though nine of SpiceJet’s flights will only run until November 15. Patna’s new airport terminal is expected to be completed by the new year. Air India has secured slots for eight pairs of flights, while Indigo has taken a slot for a Jaipur-Patna-Jaipur service, though booking has yet to begin.

Transport authorities continue to expand capacity to manage the seasonal rush, ensuring smoother journeys for passengers travelling to and from Bihar during the festive period.