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Updated November 2023
With the much-awaited Diwali season approaching fast, people across India are actively organizing their holiday travel plans. Indian Railways, renowned for its extensive network that links even the most remote areas of the nation, remains a preferred choice for many travelers. With the Diwali rush, it is expected that thousands of people will opt for train travel, resulting in a surge in ticket bookings.
Read on as Wego provides you with schedules and updates to facilitate your train bookings this Diwali season.
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Diwali 2023 trains
Indian Railways offers various amenities such as clean and well-maintained coaches, on-board catering services, and adequate security measures. These features, coupled with the unmatched local connectivity, make trains the first choice of travel for many Indian people.
This year, the number of passengers is expected to rise, especially since Diwali falls on a Sunday. Travelers are advised to make early bookings to avoid last-minute congestion.
A simple search through Wego will give you access to train schedules, availability and best deals for booking your tickets.
Here are the train schedules, prices and ticket availabilities for some of the most popular train routes for the Diwali season. Please note, however, that the listed prices and ticket availabilities are accurate at the time of writing, and are liable to change without prior notice.
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New Delhi – Howrah, Kolkata
| Train Number | Train Name | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Ticket Availability Classes | Starting Price (INR) |
| 12314 | Sealdah Rajdhani Exp | 4:30 pm | 10:10 am (Next Day) | Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 (Waiting List) | 3040 |
| 12302 | Howrah Rajdhani Exp | 4:50 pm | 9:55 am (Next Day) | Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 (Waiting List) | 3020 |
| 12312 | Netaji Exp | 4:44 am | 8:05 am (Next Day) | Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Sleeper Class (Waiting List) | 635 |
New Delhi – Kanpur
| Train Number | Train Name | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Ticket Availability Classes | Starting Price (INR) |
| 12034 | Kanpur Central Shatabdi Exp | 3:50 pm | 8:50 pm | Chair Car, AC Chair Car | 1055 |
| 12424 | Dibrugarh Rajdhani Exp | 4:20 pm | 9:00 pm | Tier 2, Tier 3 (Waiting List for Tier 1) | 1460 |
Lucknow – Patna
| Train Number | Train Name | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Ticket Availability Classes | Starting Price (INR) |
| 13240 | Kota Patna Exp | 7:10 am | 7:30 pm | Tier 1, Tier 3, Sleeper Class | 780 |
| 13414 | Farakka Exp | 7:40 am | 8:50 pm | Tier 1, Tier 3 (Waiting List for Sleeper Class) | 315 |
| 19669 | Patliputra Humsafar | 9:15 am | 8:00 pm | Tier 3 (Waiting List for Sleeper Class) | 350 |
Bengaluru – Mumbai
| Train Number | Train Name | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Ticket Availability Classes | Starting Price (INR) |
| 82653 | Jaipur Suvidha Exp | 11:30 am | 12:00 pm (next day) | Tier 2, Tier 3, Sleeper Class | 2,220 |
| 11014 | Mumbai LTT Exp | 3:15 pm | 1:45 pm (next day) | Tier 2, Tier 3 (Waiting List), Sleeper Class | 520 |
| 11006 | Chalukya Exp | 4:43 am | 5:35 am (next day) | Tier 2, Sleeper Class, Tier 3 (Waiting List) | 550 |
Diwali 2023 trains booking start date
The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the organization that oversees railway ticket booking in India, allows for advance booking of tickets from upto 120 days from the date of departure.
Accordingly, advance booking for trains for the Diwali season has commenced from the second week of July.
Diwali 2023 special trains
As mentioned, festive seasons like Diwali witness an exceptional surge in railway ticket bookings in India. Owing to the high demand, the IRCTC announces the commencement of special trains every year. These trains are sanctioned especially to cater to the routes where the demand is the highest.
This year, IRCTC has scheduled 283 special trains for the Railways. These include:
Train Number 02252: Special Vande Bharat Train
- New Delhi to Patna: 11/11/2023, 14/11/2023, 16/11/2023
- Departing from New Delhi at 07.45 AM
- Arrival in Patna at 7.00 PM
Train Number 02249: Patna Jn. to New Delhi Festival Special Train
- Patna Jn. to New Delhi: 11/11/2023, 14/11/2023 and 16/11/2023
- Departing from Patna Jn at 09.10 AM
- Arrival in New Delhi at 09.00 PM
Train Number 07427: Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Hazur Sahib Nanded Special
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Hazur Sahib Nanded: every Tuesday from 24/10/2023 to 14/11/2023
- Departure from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 04.40 PM
- Arrival in Hazur Sahib Nanded at 09.30 AM
Train Number 09621: Ajmer-Bandra Terminus Festival Special Train
- Ajmer to Bandra: every Sunday from 12/11/2023 to 31/2/2023
- Departure from Ajmer at 06.35 AM
- Arrival in Bandra at 04.15 AM (Next Day)
The Central Railway is also arranging 36 special festival train services connecting Amravati to Pune and Badnera to Nashik. Additionally, the Indian Railway will operate unique festival MEMU trains on the same routes to manage the increased number of passengers.
To learn more about the special trains, please visit https://www.indiatimes.com/events/indian-railways-announces-festival-special-train-list-for-diwali-and-chhath-puja-2023-618627.html
Diwali 2023 in India
This year, Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, will be celebrated enthusiastically from 10-14 November. It starts with Dhanteras on 10 November, kicking off five days of joyful celebrations. After Dhanteras, Chhoti Diwali is celebrated in the lead-up to the main Diwali festivities, which will be on 12 November. The festival wraps up with Bhai Dooj on 14 November, which is a special day to celebrate the strong bond between siblings.
For more information about when and how Diwali 2023 will be celebrated, we recommend going through our dedicated article below.
