Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Diwali, Chhath Train Booking Chaos Prompts Railways Special Services
Many people want to travel home to Bihar for Diwali and Chhath Puja.
They tried to book train tickets as soon as reservations opened.
Some passengers said the IRCTC website or app showed error, high-load, or regret messages.
Others found that tickets were already sold out or had very long waiting lists.
Indian Railways normally allows tickets to be booked 60 days before travel.
Reservations for the travel date mentioned in the report were scheduled to open at 8 am.
To help more people travel, Railways announced special festival trains.
These trains will connect several cities with places such as Patna, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and Jogbani.
The special trains are scheduled between September 16 and November 30.
Passengers reported “high load,” “error,” and “regret” messages while booking Bihar-bound festival trains through IRCTC.
Some Bihar-bound trains showed waiting lists exceeding 100 or 200 in certain classes.
Indian Railways permits regular bookings 60 days in advance, with reservations opening at 8 am for the cited travel date.
East Central Railway announced 16 festival special trains operating between September 16 and November 30.
Special services will connect cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur Cantt, and Rishikesh with stations across Bihar.
- Who
- Passengers traveling home for Diwali and Chhath Puja, Indian Railways, East Central Railway, and IRCTC.
- What
- Passengers reported booking failures and long waiting lists for Bihar-bound trains, while Railways announced festival special trains.
- When
- Reports of booking problems occurred around the 8 am reservation opening; special trains are scheduled from September 16 to November 30.
- Where
- The problems affected IRCTC bookings for Bihar-bound journeys; special trains will run from cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur Cantt, and Rishikesh to Bihar.
- Why
- Festival travel created high demand, while Railways said special trains would facilitate passenger travel.
Passenger concerns
Railway response
Ticket-booking reliability
Passenger concerns
Passengers said the IRCTC system was difficult to access at the reservation opening time and displayed high-load, error, or regret messages.
Railway response
Railways’ reported response was to announce festival special trains to provide additional travel options.
Access to festival travel
Passenger concerns
Users argued that trains are necessary for ordinary passengers traveling home during Diwali and Chhath Puja, and complained that tickets sold out quickly.
Railway response
East Central Railway scheduled 16 special trains, including daily, weekly, and biweekly services from several major cities to Bihar.
- Booking window
- Regular tickets can be booked up to 60 days in advance, excluding the journey date.
- Reported booking time
- Reservations for the cited November 12, 2026 journey date were stated to open at 8:00 am.
- Passenger complaints
- Users reported “high system load,” “error,” and “regret” messages on the IRCTC website or app.
- Waiting lists
- Some Bihar-bound trains reportedly had waiting lists above 100 and, in some classes, above 200.
- Special trains
- East Central Railway announced 16 festival special trains.
- Operating period
- The announced special services will operate between September 16 and November 30.
- Major routes
- Routes include services between Delhi-area stations and Patna, Patliputra, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Jogbani, and Laukha Bazaar.