Indian Railways will run 102 special trains for Dussehra and Diwali travel, with bookings opening September 27, 2026.
Festive services include Mumbai-Chennai, Mumbai-Latur and Kolhapur-Kalaburagi trains on specified schedules.
Passengers can book through IRCTC, railway reservation centres and RailOne, while NTES will provide updates.
Indian Railways will run 102 special trains for Dussehra and Diwali travel, with most services passing through the Solapur Division and enhancing connectivity to key hubs such as Mumbai, Chennai, Latur, Kolhapur and Kalaburagi. These additional trains have been rolled out to ensure a seamless and comfortable journey for millions of travellers returning home for the holidays. Bookings for the additional services open on 27 September 2026.
Extra trains are aimed at handling the festive rush as passenger demand rises before the two holidays. The rollout is meant to improve connectivity on routes that usually see heavy travel during the season, reported LiveMint.
The special timetable includes a weekly Mumbai-Chennai train, a bi-weekly Mumbai-Latur service and a near-daily Kolhapur-Kalaburagi train. Tickets will be available through the IRCTC website, computerised reservation centres and the RailOne mobile app.
Mumbai-Chennai Weekly Service
The Mumbai-Chennai service will run six trips each way. The CSMT Mumbai-Chennai Beach Weekly Special is part of the festive schedule, while the Chennai Beach-CSMT Mumbai Special will also operate six trips.
The return service leaves Chennai Beach at 04:00 hrs every Thursday. It will run from October 15 to November 19 and reach Mumbai at 04:00 hrs the following day.
The route includes Dadar, Thane, Pune, Solapur, Kalaburagi, Guntakal, Renigunta and Perambur. These halts place the service on one of the main rail links between Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Mumbai-Latur Bi-Weekly Service
Mumbai and Latur will get a bi-weekly festive train. The special service will complete 13 trips in each direction during the festival period.
The CSMT Mumbai-Latur Special departs Mumbai at 00:35 hrs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It will run between October 13 and November 24 and arrive in Latur at 11:40 hrs the same day.
The Latur-CSMT Mumbai Special leaves Latur at 16:30 hrs on the same days and reaches Mumbai at 04:10 hrs the next morning. Key halts are Kalyan, Lonavala, Pune, Daund, Kurduwadi and Dharashiv.
Kolhapur-Kalaburagi Special Trains
Indian Railways is also adding a near-daily train between Kolhapur and Kalaburagi. The service will run six days a week, excluding Fridays.
It will operate 32 trips each way, or 64 trips in total. The Kolhapur-Kalaburagi Special departs Kolhapur at 06:10 hrs from October 10 to November 15 and reaches Kalaburagi at 16:10 hrs.
The return train departs Kalaburagi at 18:10 hrs and arrives in Kolhapur at 05:40 hrs the following day. Its main halts are Miraj Junction, Sangola, Pandharpur, Kurduwadi and Solapur.
Booking And Access
Bookings for these special trains open on 27 September 2026. Tickets will carry special charges.
Passengers can book through the official IRCTC website, all computerised railway reservation centres and the RailOne mobile application. Railway authorities have urged passengers to book early and travel only with valid tickets.
Travellers have also been advised to check the NTES portal or the RailOne app for real-time updates and detailed halt timings before starting their journey.
