As the festive season rings in, we’re struck with a longing for home – the place a lot of us have come far away from in pursuit of our dreams. Festivals have always been associated with celebration of the good times with near and dear ones. Festivals also stand for homecoming – a journey back to the roots, a break from the tiresome days and ambitious pursuits.
If the aroma of maa ke haath ka khana, the welcome rangoli on the doorsteps and the warmth of filial bonds summon you, jump on to one of these special trains that have been organised for the festive season.
This Durga Pujo, Dussehra, and Diwali, say good bye to work and hello to home!
Special Trains Being Run for the Festive Season
Here are some of the special trains connecting various parts of the country during the festive season:
1. Superfast Special Train Between Indore and Patna
Duration: 8 October to 26 November
Departure: Indore, 10 am on Sunday
Arrival: Patna, 12:35 pm the next day
Departure: Patna, 5:25 pm on Monday
Arrival: Indore, 10:00 pm the next day
Type of Coaches: 2AC (one), 3AC (two), Sleeper (six), General (six) and Brake Van (two)
Stops: Dewas, Ujjain, Bina, Jhansi, Kanpur Central, Lucknow, Varanasi, Mughalsarai, Buxar, Ara and Danapur.
2. Suvidha Express between Howrah and Anand Vihar
Duration: 25 September to 29 September
Departure: Anand Vihar, 6:35 pm on 25 and 28 September
Arrival: Howrah, 5:55 pm the next day
Departure: Howrah, 10:50 pm on 26 and 29 September
Arrival: Anand Vihar, 9:30 pm the next day
Type of Coaches: 14 3AC Coaches
3. Kacheguda – Tatanagar Special Train
Duration: 2 October to 28 November
Departure: Kacheguda, 1 pm on 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October and 6, 13, 20, 27 November
Arrival: Tatanagar, 7:45 pm the next day
Departure: Tatanagar, 10:50 pm on 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October and 7, 14, 21, 28 November
Arrival: Kacheguda, 5:00 am the next day
Type of Coaches: 2AC (one), 3AC (two), Sleeper (seven), General (six) Brake Van (two)
Stops: Malkajgiri, Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Piduguralla, Guntur, Vijayawada, Eluru, Tadepalligudem, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Anakapalli, Duvvada, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram, Srikakulam Road, Palasa, Berhampur, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sukinda Road, Kendujhargarh, Jaroli, Banspani, Dangoaposi and Chaibasa
4. Anand Vihar-Jaynagar Special
Duration: 3 September to 30 October
Departure: Anand Vihar on every Sunday and Wednesday at 12:55 pm
Arrival: Jaynagar, 1:30 pm the next day
Departure: Jaynagar on every Monday and Thursday at 3:30 pm
Arrival: Anand Vihar, 4:30 pm the next day
Type of Coaches: Sleeper (eleven), General (five), Brake Vans (two)
5. Anand Vihar-Saharsa Special
Duration: 3 September to 30 October
Departure: Anand Vihar, every Sunday and Thursday at 5:10 pm
Arrival: Saharsa, 6:15 pm the next day
Departure: Saharsa on every Monday and Friday at 8.30 pm
Arrival: Anand Vihar, 10:40 pm the next day
Type of Coaches: Sleeper (eleven), General (five), Brake Vans (two)
6. Firozpur- Darbhanga Special
Duration: 5 September to 2 November
Departure: Firozpur on Tuesday at 7:00 pm
Arrival: Darbhanga on Thursday morning
Departure: Darbhanga on Thursday at 7:30 am
Arrival: Firozpur on Friday at 6:25 pm
Type of Coaches: Sleeper (ten), General (three), Brake Vans (two)
7. Howrah-Jammu Tawi Weekly
Duration: 21 September to 28 October
Departure: Howrah on Thursday at 11:55 pm
Arrival: Jammu Tawi on Saturday at 3:00 pm
Departure: Jammu Tawi on Saturday at 8:10 pm
Arrival: Howrah on Monday at 6:30 am
Type of Coaches: 2AC (one), 3AC (four), Sleeper (eight)
Stops: Asansol, Dhanbad, Gaya, Varanasi, Lucknow, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantonment, Pathankot Cantonment, Ambala Cantonment
8. Santragachi-Pune AC Superfast Special
Duration: 7 October to 27 November
Departure: Santragachi on Saturday at 6:30 pm
Arrival: Pune on Monday at 2:45 pm
Departure: Pune on Monday at 10:30 am
Arrival: Santragachi, 6:15 pm the next day
Type of Coaches: 2AC (three), 3AC (eight)
Stops: Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Chakradharpur, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Raipur, Durg, Nagpur, Bhusawal, Kalyan and Panvel
If you’re looking to travel to Bengal from Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, look for tickets on the Trivandrum Central Superfast Special train connecting Howrah and Trivandrum, Malda Town and Bengaluru Cantonment, Panvel and Chennai Central, according to a report published in The Times of India.
(With inputs from The Times of India and Millennium Post)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)