From Maha Kumbh to Chhath, Railway runs 43,000 special trains in 2025: Govt

New Delhi: Indian Railways on Friday announced running more than 43,000 special train trips across the country to ensure smooth, safe and comfortable travel during major religious gatherings and peak travel seasons in 2025.

According to official data, the largest deployment of special trains this year was undertaken for the Maha Kumbh, one of the world’s biggest religious congregations.

Between January 13 and February 28, Indian Railways operated 17,340 special train trips to facilitate the movement of lakhs of pilgrims travelling to and from the Kumbh region.

Railway officials said the scale of operations was among the highest ever mounted for a single religious event.

For Holi, another period marked by heavy passenger movement, Indian Railways ran 1,144 special train trips between March 1 and March 22, 2025.

This figure was nearly double the number of special trains operated during Holi in 2024, aimed at easing congestion and improving availability on high-demand routes.

The summer travel season also saw sustained operational intensity. From April 1 to June 30, 2025, a total of 12,417 Summer Special train trips were operated to cater to vacation travel, migrant movement and family visits during school holidays.

Special arrangements were further strengthened for Chhath Puja, which traditionally witnesses massive travel to eastern India.

Between October 1 and November 30, 2025, Indian Railways operated 12,383 special train trips for the festival, marking a substantial increase over the previous year and helping manage heavy rush on key routes.

Railway officials said the expanded operations this year were built on the strong foundation laid in the previous year. During Aastha Special services conducted from January 30 to March 11, last year, Indian Railways operated 326 special circular train trips for pilgrims.

For Holi in 2024, 604 special train trips were run between March 12 and April 2.

During the summer season of last year, Indian Railways operated 12,919 Summer Special train trips, while arrangements for Chhath Puja that year included 7,990 special train trips between October 1 and December 31.

Meanwhile, the sharp increase in special train services in this outgoing year marks the endeavour to meet rising passenger demand, ensuring reliable connectivity, and providing safe and hassle-free travel during periods of exceptionally high footfall, ministry officials underlined.