Patna: With Chhath Puja approaching, passengers travelling to Bihar from different parts of the country are facing a major shortage of confirmed train tickets. Regular trains connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Gujarat and Punjab with destinations such as Patna, Darbhanga, Hajipur, Samastipur and Muzaffarpur are witnessing exceptionally high demand.
Several trains are already running with full reservation capacity, while waiting lists have increased significantly. In some popular services, ticket bookings have reached the regret or no-room status, making it difficult for passengers to secure confirmed seats during the festive rush.
Long Waiting Lists in Trains from Delhi to Bihar
Trains operating between Delhi and Bihar are witnessing particularly heavy passenger demand.
The waiting list for the Magadh Express has crossed 150. Meanwhile, the Sampoorna Kranti Express and Tejas Rajdhani Express have reportedly reached the regret or no-room status, indicating that confirmed bookings are no longer available.
The Amrit Bharat Express departing from Anand Vihar is also witnessing long waiting lists, adding to the difficulties of passengers travelling home for the festival.
Mumbai-Bihar Trains Also Witness Heavy Rush
Passengers travelling from Mumbai to Bihar are facing similar difficulties.
Popular services such as the Pataliputra Express, LTT-Bhagalpur Express and Danapur Special are experiencing heavy demand, making confirmed tickets difficult to obtain.
In several trains, ticket availability has become extremely limited, while bookings for some services have also been restricted.
Railways Arranges Special Trains for Chhath
Considering the heavy festive rush, Indian Railways has introduced several measures to accommodate passengers.
These include:
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Adding extra coaches to regular trains.
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Operating festival special trains on busy routes.
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Running special Vande Bharat Express services.
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Introducing unreserved special trains for passengers travelling without reservations.
The arrangements are aimed at increasing passenger capacity and reducing travel difficulties during the Chhath festival.
Platform Ticket Sales Suspended at 12 Railway Stations
To control overcrowding and prevent incidents such as stampedes at railway stations, the railway administration has tightened security arrangements.
As part of these measures, platform ticket sales have been completely suspended at 12 major railway stations under different divisions of East Central Railway.
The stations include:
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Patna Junction
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Danapur
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Muzaffarpur
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Samastipur
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Darbhanga
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Saharsa
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Ara
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Buxar
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Gaya
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Sitamarhi
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Raxaul
The report mentions 12 stations but lists only 11 by name.
Platform tickets are not being issued through railway counters, Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) or mobile applications at these stations.
Only passengers holding valid journey tickets will be permitted to enter the station premises under the restrictions.
The move is intended to manage the festive crowd, improve passenger movement and strengthen safety arrangements at busy railway stations.
