Patna: With passenger demand expected to rise during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath, East Central Railway (ECR) has announced a series of festival special trains connecting Patna and other Bihar stations with Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur, Kerala and several other destinations.
The services will operate between October and November, providing additional travel options from major stations including Patna Junction, Pataliputra, Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Barauni, Jogbani, Supaul and Sitamarhi.
Patna-Chandigarh Festival Special
Train 04512/04511 Chandigarh-Patna-Chandigarh Festival Special will operate between Chandigarh and Patna via Ambala Cantt, Moradabad, Varanasi and DDU.
Train 04512 will run every Thursday from October 1 to November 26. It will depart Chandigarh at 11:55 pm and reach Patna Junction at 9:15 pm the following day, with stoppages at Buxar, Ara and Danapur.
The return train, 04511, will run every Friday from October 2 to November 27. It will leave Patna at 11:15 pm and reach Chandigarh at 9:40 pm the following day.
Firozpur-Patna Special Train
Train 04616/04615 Firozpur Cantt-Patna-Firozpur Cantt Festival Special will operate every Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
The Firozpur-Patna service will run from October 6 to November 24, reaching Patna Junction at 6:35 pm. The return service will operate from October 7 to November 25, departing Patna at 8:20 pm.
The trains will serve stations including Varanasi, DDU, Buxar, Raghunathpur, Ara and Danapur.
Daily Anand Vihar-Pataliputra Service
Train 04096/04095 Anand Vihar-Pataliputra-Anand Vihar Festival Special will run daily.
The Anand Vihar-Pataliputra service will operate from October 1 to November 29, reaching Pataliputra at 11 pm. The return service will run from October 2 to November 30, departing Pataliputra at 12:45 am.
The service will connect Bihar with Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ballia, Chhapra and Dighwara.
Patna-Kerala And Barauni-South India Services
For passengers travelling towards southern India, train 06085/06086 Ernakulam-Patna-Ernakulam will operate between October 2 and November 3.
The Ernakulam-Patna service will run on Fridays, reaching Patna Junction at 3:30 am on Monday. The return service will leave Patna at 12:10 am on Tuesdays.
Another special service, 06021/06022 Pottanur-Barauni-Pottanur, will operate between October 4 and November 4. It will connect Barauni with stations including DDU, Buxar, Ara, Danapur, Pataliputra, Sonpur and Hajipur.
Delhi-Jogbani Special
Train 04008/04007 Anand Vihar-Jogbani-Anand Vihar will operate on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Anand Vihar-Jogbani service will run from October 10 to November 7, reaching Jogbani at 3 pm the following day. The return service will operate from October 11 to November 8.
It will serve several important Bihar stations, including Hajipur, Barauni, Begusarai, Khagaria, Mansi, Naugachia, Katihar, Purnia and Araria Court.
Delhi-Sitamarhi And Delhi-Muzaffarpur Services
Train 04010/04009 Delhi-Sitamarhi-Delhi Festival Special will operate on selected Thursdays and Saturdays between October 15 and November 21.
The service will connect Delhi with Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Raxaul, Bairgania and Sitamarhi.
Another service, 04028/04027 Anand Vihar-Muzaffarpur-Anand Vihar, will run twice a week. The Anand Vihar-Muzaffarpur train will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays from October 13 to November 24, while the return service will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays from October 14 to November 25.
Muzaffarpur-Rishikesh And Delhi-Supaul Trains
Train 04314/04313 Yog Nagari Rishikesh-Muzaffarpur-Yog Nagari Rishikesh will operate weekly between October 4 and November 30.
The service will connect Muzaffarpur with Rishikesh through Sonpur and Hajipur.
Train 04072/04071 New Delhi-Supaul-New Delhi will run daily. The New Delhi-Supaul service will operate from October 1 to November 28, while the return service will run from October 3 to November 30.
The train will serve Hajipur, Shahpur Patori, Barauni, Begusarai, Khagaria, Mansi, Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Saharsa before reaching Supaul.
Darbhanga And Kamakhya Connections
Train 04098/04097 Shakurbasti-Darbhanga-Shakurbasti will operate six days a week, except Tuesday in the onward direction and Wednesday in the return direction.
The service will connect Darbhanga with Sitamarhi, Bairgania, Raxaul, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Delhi and Shakurbasti.
Another festival special, 04076/04075 Delhi-Kamakhya-Delhi, will run between October 3 and November 30. It will pass through Pataliputra, Hajipur, Barauni and Katihar on its way to Kamakhya.
Anand Vihar-Laukaha Bazar Service
ECR has also announced an additional daily service between Anand Vihar and Laukaha Bazar.
Train 04014 will operate until November 29, leaving Anand Vihar at 3:40 pm and reaching Laukaha Bazar the following day at 8:15 pm. The return train, 04013, will run until November 30, departing Laukaha Bazar at 9:30 pm.
The additional services are intended to provide more travel options during the festive period, when passenger movement between Bihar, Delhi, northern India and other major cities generally increases.
East Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Saraswati Chandra provided the information regarding the festival special services.
