To manage the surge in passenger demand across key intercity corridors, the Northern Railway zone has announced the operation of 21 special trains, including a dedicated Vande Bharat Special Express. The move aims to clear heavy congestion seen across major terminals due to festival travel, wedding season demand, and continued disruptions in the aviation sector.
These special services will connect multiple high-footfall cities including Gorakhpur, Anand Vihar, Bareilly, Moradabad, Ambala, Jammu Tawi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Vadodara, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, and Udhna, providing critical relief to stranded and waitlisted passengers.
Pan-India Connectivity Across Key Corridors
The newly introduced special trains will also strengthen long-distance connectivity to major destinations such as Howrah, Ernakulam, Varanasi, Dhanbad, Gurgaon, Ajmer, Prayagraj, and Chhapra. Railway officials said these routes were prioritised based on advance reservation pressure, Tatkal demand, and seasonal travel trends.
By spreading capacity across both short-haul and long-haul routes, Northern Railway is aiming to prevent overcrowding at major junctions like Anand Vihar Terminal, New Delhi, Howrah, and Mumbai Central.
Vande Bharat Joins the Special Services Fleet
Among the 21 services, the inclusion of a Vande Bharat Special Express is a notable highlight. The high-speed, premium service will operate as:
- 02440 Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Vande Bharat Special Express
This reflects Indian Railways’ strategy of deploying premium rolling stock even in temporary operations to maximise throughput and reduce pressure on conventional express trains.
Key Special Trains Announced
Some of the prominent special trains include:
- 05591/05592 – Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal Special
- 04001 – Mumbai Central–New Delhi Superfast Special
- 04080 – Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Superfast Special
- 04459/04460 – Howrah–New Delhi Reserved Specials
- 04061/04062 – Sabarmati–Delhi Sarai Rohilla Reserved Specials
- 02309/02310 & 02395/02396 – Patna–Anand Vihar Terminal Specials
- 05563/05564 – Darbhanga–Anand Vihar Terminal Specials
- 09003/09004 – Mumbai Central–Shakur Basti Superfast Specials
These services are expected to significantly reduce waitlists, especially on Bihar–Delhi, Mumbai–Delhi, eastern India–NCR, and south–north corridors.
Railway Zones on High Alert
Railway officials confirmed that additional rakes, onboard staff, and maintenance crews have been deployed to ensure punctual operations. Stations have also been instructed to strengthen crowd management, ticket coordination, and boarding supervision.
Passengers are advised to verify train schedules on authorised railway platforms and book early due to high expected demand.
