When every direct train is full, is there still a seat home?
Search any two stations and a date. On the left, the direct trains a booking site would list. On the right, journeys with one change of train and a seat on both legs, checked live.
Where Railways added festival specials this year
Railways adds a special where its waitlists are longest. 273 specials for Diwali and Chhath 2026, read by where they start and end, and ranked with the searches people make on RailRoute for these dates. Each route opens a live seat search on the busiest week.
| From work in | Home state | Specials | Towns they stop at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Bihar | 15 | Chhapra, Hajipur, Sonpur, Mansi, Khagaria, Begusarai |
| Mumbai | Uttar Pradesh | 12 | Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Jhansi, Orai, Lucknow |
| Delhi | Uttar Pradesh | 10 | Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Anand Nagar |
| Kolkata | Bihar | 8 | Patna, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Barauni, Sitamarhi, Janakpur Road |
| Hyderabad | Andhra Pradesh | 7 | Kakinada, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Mirylaguda |
| Pune | Maharashtra | 6 | Amravati, Akola, Shegaon, Malkapur, Bhusawal, Jalgaon |
| Mumbai | Gujarat | 6 | Vapi, Dhrangandhra, Samakhiali, Bhachau, Gandhidham, Bhuj |
| Delhi | Jammu and Kashmir | 4 | Jammu, Katra, Budgam, Udhampur |
| Mumbai | Bihar | 4 | Patna, Ara, Sonpur, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 4 | Kolhapur, Lonavla, Jejuri, Lonand, Satara, Karad |
| Delhi | Karnataka | 4 | Hubballi, Badami, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Solapur, Arsikere |
| Chennai | Kerala | 4 | Kottarakara, Kollam, Kochi, Kottayam, Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram |
Going home
Opens on 3 November, the week before Diwali
- Mumbai → Prayagraj4 specials · 12 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Varanasi4 specials · 6 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Kanpur4 specials · 10 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Lucknow3 specials · 9 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Jaipur3 specials · 4 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Bhuj3 specials · 4 runs/wk
- Mumbai → Patna2 specials · 8 runs/wk
- Hyderabad → Patna2 specials · 2 runs/wk
Back to work
Opens on 17 November, the week after Chhath
- Kanpur → Mumbai5 specials · 11 runs/wk
- Prayagraj → Mumbai4 specials · 11 runs/wk
- Prayagraj → Surat4 specials · 5 runs/wk
- Kanpur → Surat4 specials · 5 runs/wk
- Lucknow → Mumbai3 specials · 9 runs/wk
- Vijayawada → Delhi3 specials · 6 runs/wk
- Varanasi → Mumbai3 specials · 4 runs/wk
- Jaipur → Mumbai3 specials · 4 runs/wk