Patna: Travelling home to Bihar for the festive season is set to be easier this year, as Eastern Railway has announced a series of Puja special trains to accommodate the surge of passengers during Chhath, Diwali, and other autumn festivals.
The new services will connect major cities including Kolkata, Lucknow, Malda Town, and Anand Vihar, offering an additional 40,700 berths for travellers.
Among the scheduled services, the Malda Town–Anand Vihar Puja Special will depart from Malda Town at 09:30 every Monday from September 29 to November 24, arriving in Anand Vihar at 13:40 the following day. The return service will leave Anand Vihar at 15:45 every Tuesday between September 30 and November 25, reaching Malda Town at 21:05 the next day. The train will stop at 22 stations en route, including New Farakka, Barharwa, Sahibganj, Pirpainti, Kahalgaon, Bhagalpur, Sultanganj, Jamalpur, and Abhaypur, offering General Second Class, Sleeper, and AC accommodation.
Similarly, the Kolkata–Lucknow Puja Special will depart from Kolkata at 23:55 every Thursday from October 2 to November 6, reaching Lucknow at 00:10 on the third day. The return train from Lucknow will leave at 01:40 every Saturday between October 4 and November 8, arriving in Kolkata at 00:40 the following day.
Chhath, one of Bihar’s most significant festivals, sees large numbers of migrant workers and families returning home, often from distant states or abroad. The railway’s additional services aim to ease the travel pressures during this peak season, when trains are typically overcrowded.
