In response to the heightened demand during the festive season, Indian Railways is set to operate the Patna-New Delhi Special Vande Bharat Express, which is fully reservation-based, for a total of six journeys.
Previously, Indian Railways had announced 283 festival special trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has shared that these special trains will collectively make 4,480 trips during the festival season.
As per information from the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways, Deepak Kumar, the Vande Bharat Express with train number 02252, departing from New Delhi to Patna Junction, will commence its journey at 7:25 AM, reaching Patna the same evening at 7:00 PM. This special service will be available on November 11, 14, and 16.
For the return journey, the reservation-based Train number 02251, operating from Patna Junction to New Delhi as the Vande Bharat train, will run on November 12, 15, and 17.
This train will depart from Patna Junction at 7:00 AM in the morning and arrive in New Delhi on the same evening at 7:00 PM, making stops at Ara Junction at 08:28 hrs, Buxar at 09:28 hrs, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction at 10:28 hours, Prayagraj at 12:10 hrs, and New Delhi at 19:00 hours.
For the special Vande Bharat Express with train numbers 02252/02251 operating between New Delhi and Patna, the fare for the AC Chair Car coach from New Delhi (NDLS) to Patna (PNBE) is set at ₹2355, while for the AC Executive Chair Car coach, the fare is ₹4410.
Additionally, the Eastern Central Railway is planning to run 42 trains, making a maximum of 512 trips, while the Western Railway will operate 36 trains during the festival season, with a maximum of 1,262 trips.
It’s worth noting that the Ministry of Railways had previously mentioned, “Special Trains have been planned to connect major destinations across the country on railway routes like Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Danapur-Saharsa, Danapur-Bengaluru, Ambala-Saharsa, Muzaffarpur-Yesvantpur, Puri-Patna, Okha-Naharlagun, Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri, Kochuveli-Bengaluru, Benaras-Mumbai, Howrah-Raxaul etc. During 2022, Indian Railways had notified 2614 trips of 216 Puja Special trains.”
The North Western Railway is gearing up to manage a total of 24 trains, amounting to 1,208 trips, to accommodate the festive season travel demand.
The Railway Board has recommended that the railway zones instruct their ticket-checking personnel to ensure passengers’ authenticity by verifying valid, authorized proof of identity.
