Festive Special: Railways To Run 12,000 Extra Trains; Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains To Be Launched Soon

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said that the Indian Railways will run 12,000 special train services on the occasions Diwali and Chhath in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He added, while briefing journalists, that another 150 trains will be completely unreserved and these will only be released to cater to last-moment rush.

Till today, notifications for nearly 10,000 special trains have already been issued, as per, Vaishnaw. For the remaining trains, notification will be issued in the coming days, according to the demand. He added that 150 of these trains will be kept for addressing last moment rush.

The operation for these trains is all set to begin from Oct. 1 and last till Nov. 15, spanning over the entire festive reason. The Minister guaranteed that the Railways have made sufficient preparations to be equipped for the spike in travellers during festive season.

Vaishnaw also announced that the launch of new Vande Bharat sleeper trains is underway. He added that one train is ready for launch at Shakur Basti Coaching Depot in Delhi after undergoing trials and testing. The second train is being manufactured and will possibly be ready by Oct. 15, 2025 and that both these trains will be launched together.

Vaishnaw, along with Punjab's Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, held a media briefing in Punjab on the status of the existing and forthcoming railway projects.

On Sept. 8, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had stated in a post on X that the Modi government at the Centre has decided to run more than 12,000 special trains during the Diwali-Chhath festive season, increasing the number of special trains to 12,739, up from 7,500 in 2024.

"In this regard, the Railways has taken a historic step by ensuring the operation of a record number of special trains for the convenience of passengers", he added.