Patna: The rush to travel to Bihar for Holi has led to a massive surge in train bookings, leaving most major trains completely full. Thousands of people who travelled home to celebrate the festival are now struggling to find confirmed tickets to return to their workplaces and colleges. Railway data shows that from 4 March to 30 March, waiting lists remain long across several popular routes, making it difficult for passengers to secure seats even after the festival is over.
Several key trains, including the Brahmaputra Express, Vikramshila Express and Sampoorna Kranti Express, are running at full capacity. Passengers report that sleeper and AC coaches are completely booked, and even AC First tickets are on waiting lists for many dates. The situation is similar on other important trains such as the Seemanchal Express and North East Express, where no confirmed tickets are available in most classes between 5 March and 15 March.
Officials say the heavy rush is mainly due to migrant workers and students who return to Bihar during Holi, one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the state. As a result, more than 10 regular trains have reported full occupancy in sleeper, AC and economy classes. For many travellers, this means that regular train services are no longer an option unless there are last-minute cancellations.
With trains fully booked, passengers are now depending on special trains and bus services. Railways are expected to operate additional special trains to manage the extra crowd. Meanwhile, state transport authorities have announced that bus services on shorter routes such as Muzaffarpur and Chhapra may be increased from one trip a day to two or even three if needed. On routes like Darbhanga and Motihari, buses may run twice daily instead of once. However, for longer-distance routes such as Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Purnia, Kishanganj and Araria, increasing the number of buses is difficult due to long travel times. For now, many passengers continue to wait and hope for confirmed tickets as the festive travel rush shows no sign of slowing down.
