Diwali and Chhath Puja together create the largest passenger movement of the year on Indian Railways, bigger than any other festival. Millions travel home to Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand from Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Punjab and the south. Tickets vanish within minutes of booking opening. This guide gives you the booking calendar, the strategy that actually works, and the special train list as Railways announces it.
The single most important thing on this page: booking opens 60 days before your travel date, at 8:00 AM. For Diwali travel, that means booking opens in early September. Not October. If you wait until the special trains are announced, the best services will already be full. Mark the date and book on the morning it opens.
Festival Dates 2026
| Dhanteras | Early November 2026 |
| Diwali | Around 8 November 2026 |
| Chhath Puja | Around six days after Diwali, mid-November 2026 |
Chhath runs over four days, with Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya in sequence. Most travellers need to reach home a day or two before Nahay Khay, which is what concentrates demand into a narrow window.
Your Booking Calendar
This is the part that decides whether you travel confirmed or waitlisted. Work backwards from your travel date by 60 days.
| If you travel on | Booking opens around |
|---|---|
| Early November, before Diwali | Early September |
| Diwali week | Second week of September |
| Just before Chhath | Mid September |
| Return, late November | Late September |
Count the days yourself. The advance reservation period is 60 days excluding the date of journey, counted from the train’s originating station. Add or subtract a day rather than relying on a rough estimate, because on these routes the difference between booking on the right morning and the next one is a confirmed berth against a waitlist of two hundred.
Book the Return Leg at the Same Time
This is where most people come unstuck. They secure the outward journey, feel relieved, and leave the return until later. By then it is gone.
The return rush after Chhath is as heavy as the outward one, and it is compressed into fewer days because everyone returns to work at once. Book both legs on the mornings they open.
How to Actually Get a Confirmed Ticket
Before Booking Day
- Link Aadhaar to your IRCTC account. This matters more than most people realise. In the first 15 minutes of general booking, online tickets can only be booked by Aadhaar-authenticated users. On a festival route, the first 15 minutes is when the train fills.
- Save every passenger in your IRCTC Master List, with names, ages and berth preferences already stored. Typing them at 8:00 AM costs you the berth.
- Set up your payment in advance, whether UPI, saved card or IRCTC e-Wallet. A wallet balance removes the bank gateway step entirely.
- Decide your train and date beforehand, with two backups ready.
On Booking Morning
- Log in by 7:50 AM. Do not leave it to 7:59.
- Have the journey details already entered so you only need to press search.
- Book, then check. Complete the transaction rather than comparing options while berths disappear.
- Tick VIKALP. It costs nothing and only helps. See our VIKALP guide.
If You Missed the Window
| Tatkal | Opens one day before travel, 10:00 AM for AC and 11:00 AM for non-AC. See our Tatkal guide. |
| Special trains | Announced in batches through September and October, each with its own booking-open date. Newly announced trains are your best chance after the main window closes. |
| Nearby stations | Boarding one station earlier, or getting down short of your destination, often finds availability where the obvious pair does not. |
| Alternative dates | Travelling two or three days earlier is far easier than travelling on the peak day. |
| Unreserved travel | Possible but genuinely difficult during Chhath. General coaches on these routes get dangerously crowded. |
The Busiest Routes
Demand concentrates on a handful of corridors, and these are the ones where booking opens and closes within minutes:
| From Delhi | Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Chhapra |
| From Mumbai and Surat | Chhapra, Gorakhpur, Patna, Danapur |
| From Gujarat | Muzaffarpur, Barauni, Katihar |
| From Bengaluru and Hyderabad | Patna, Danapur, Muzaffarpur |
| From Punjab | Saharsa, Katihar, Jaynagar |
If your route is on this list, treat the booking date as fixed and unmissable.
Diwali and Chhath Special Trains 2026
Railways announces festival specials in batches rather than all at once, typically from late August through October. Each batch carries its own booking-open date, so a train announced in October may open for booking immediately.
To give a sense of scale, in recent years Railways has run well over ten thousand special train services across the Durga Puja to Chhath period, alongside extra coaches attached to regular trains and additional Amrit Bharat services on Bihar routes.
The 2026 list is awaited. As zonal railways announce trains with their numbers, routes and dates, we will add them here. Bookmark this page and check back through September and October.
City-wise Status
| Delhi | Awaited |
| Mumbai | Awaited |
| Ahmedabad and Surat | Awaited |
| Bengaluru | Awaited |
| Kolkata | Awaited |
| Punjab | Awaited |
Watch for a Return Fare Discount
In the 2025 festive season, Railways offered a 20 per cent discount on return tickets for passengers travelling out and back within specified date windows. Whether a similar scheme runs in 2026 has not been announced.
If it is offered again, it will be worth checking the eligible date ranges before you finalise your return, since a few days either way could save a fifth of the fare.
Travelling With Family
- Book everyone on one PNR where you can, since split bookings can end up in different coaches or on different trains.
- Elderly travellers should have the lower berth quota selected at booking. See our lower berth quota guide.
- Arrange station assistance in advance if anyone needs a wheelchair, as festival crowds make this much harder on the day. See our Yatri Mitra Sewa guide.
- Carry ID for at least one passenger on the ticket, in original. See our ID proof list.
On the Day of Travel
- Reach the station early. Festival crowds make platforms slow to cross and coaches hard to locate.
- Check your coach position before the train arrives.
- Check live running status, since festival specials often run late. See live train running status.
- Keep valuables close. Crowded festival trains attract theft.
- Save 139 for any assistance or complaint during the journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
✅ When does booking open for Diwali 2026 travel?
60 days before your travel date, at 8:00 AM. For travel around Diwali in early November, that means booking opens in early September.
✅ How many special trains will run?
Railways has run over ten thousand special services across the festive period in recent years. The 2026 numbers will be announced from around late August onwards.
✅ Why can I not book even though booking has opened?
In the first 15 minutes of general booking, online tickets can only be booked by Aadhaar-authenticated users. Link Aadhaar to your IRCTC account before booking day.
✅ Should I wait for special trains to be announced?
No. Book on regular trains as soon as your date opens, and treat special trains as a bonus. Waiting means the best services are gone.
✅ Is Tatkal worth trying?
Yes, as a backup, but on these routes Tatkal also sells out within minutes. Treat it as one option among several rather than a plan.
✅ What is the best strategy if everything is waitlisted?
Tick VIKALP, watch for newly announced specials, consider boarding at a nearby station, and be flexible on dates. A confirmed ticket two days early beats a waitlist on the peak day.
✅ Can I travel on a waitlisted ticket?
Not on a fully waitlisted e-ticket, which is auto-cancelled after charting. RAC tickets do allow travel on a shared side berth.
Quick Summary
| Diwali 2026 | Around 8 November |
| Chhath 2026 | Around six days later, mid-November |
| Booking opens | 60 days before travel, 8:00 AM |
| Book Diwali travel from | Early September |
| First 15 minutes | Aadhaar-authenticated users only |
| Tatkal | 10:00 AM AC, 11:00 AM non-AC, one day before |
| Busiest routes | Delhi, Mumbai and Gujarat towards Bihar and eastern UP |
| Special trains | Announced in batches from late August |
Getting home for Diwali and Chhath comes down to one thing: booking on the morning your date opens. Everything else is damage limitation. Set a reminder now, prepare your IRCTC account, and bookmark this page for the special train announcements. For more, see our guides on Tatkal booking, VIKALP and the full special trains list.
Which route are you booking this festive season? Tell us in the comments and we will flag the special trains for it as they are announced.