Indian Railways prepares comprehensive plans for the 2026 festive season travel rush

Indian Railways is making extensive preparations to ensure smoother travel and better confirmed ticket availability for passengers during the upcoming 2026 festive season covering Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath Puja. With Diwali scheduled for November 8 and Chhath observed from November 13 to 15, railway authorities are implementing strategic upgrades in quotas, special train operations, coach capacities, and penalty rules to manage the massive passenger rush efficiently.

The Railway Board has been petitioned to increase the Tatkal quota from the current 6,500 seats to over 12,000 on major high-demand routes including Delhi, Howrah, and Mumbai. To accommodate holiday travellers, Northern Railway has announced various special services connecting Delhi to key destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar running from September through late November 2026. Notable routes include special services between Anand Vihar Terminus and Laukaha Bazar, Anand Vihar and Patliputra, Yog Nagari Rishikesh and Muzaffarpur, and Hazrat Nizamuddin to Dadar. Furthermore, operations for the Barauni-Gwalior and Mau-Kolkata special trains have been extended until November 29, with both services receiving an addition of 20 coaches.

Enhancing Train Capacity and Booking Guidelines

To significantly boost capacity, the Railway Board is implementing a new standard coach structure, allowing LHB rakes to expand from 20 to 24 coaches, thereby increasing capacity by over 350 seats per train, with a mandatory inclusion of at least 6 to 8 sleeper and 4 general coaches.

Advance Reservation Period booking for general tickets began 60 days prior to travel at 8:00 AM IST via the IRCTC portal and railway counters. Specifically, Diwali travel bookings for November 6 to 8 were opened between September 7 and 9, while Chhath Puja bookings for November 12 to 15 opened between September 13 and 16, 2026. To manage station platform crowds effectively, a new token system has been introduced for offline counter bookings: tokens for AC class are issued from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM, and for non-AC and sleeper classes from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM.

Strict New Penalties and Ongoing Passenger Concerns

Stricter regulations effective July 1, 2026, under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, have been rolled out to curb malpractice. The minimum penalty for ticketless travel has been increased from ₹250 to ₹500. Travelling on a ticket issued in someone else's name now attracts a minimum fine of ₹500 plus applicable fare, while unauthorized vending or begging on railway premises may incur a ₹2,000 fine. Additionally, strict rules implemented on January 12, 2026, continue to target ticket touting. Despite these robust arrangements, some passengers have reported technical issues with the IRCTC system regarding payment deductions without successful ticket issuance, which railway authorities are working to address.