Indian Railways extends festival special trains and boosts Gorakhpur route infrastructure
Indian Railways has announced the extension of operational periods for multiple festival special trains and new infrastructure upgrades to manage passenger demand smoothly across key routes including Gorakhpur. CPRO Sumit Kumar confirmed these vital service updates to help travellers plan their journeys comfortably during the upcoming festive rush.
Train 05579 from Purnia Court to Anand Vihar Terminal will run every Friday and Sunday with 26 additional trips through November 29, while its return service train 05580 operates from September 6 to December 1 on Tuesdays and Sundays. Additionally, train 05575 from Saharsa to Anand Vihar Terminal is extended every Tuesday from September 8 to November 24, and train 05576 in the reverse direction is extended every Thursday from September 10 to November 26.
New Train Launches and Service Extensions
Passengers can now benefit from the launch of the 15085/15086 Gorakhpur-Bandra Terminus Amrit Bharat weekly train, which became effective from August 28 from Gorakhpur and August 29 from Bandra Terminus, offering both sleeper and general class coaches. Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay noted that the Gaya-Anand Vihar Terminal weekly special trains 02397 and 02398 received extensions of 13 trips each from September to November 2026. Furthermore, the Dhanbad-Shakoorbasti bi-weekly special trains 03639 and 03640 were granted 26 additional trips each, alongside an added stop at Tundla station for better regional connectivity.
Special Arrangements and Infrastructure Updates
To accommodate heavy rush during Janmashtami, Delhi-Varanasi special train 04446 operated on September 3 and 5, departing Delhi at 9:10 PM and arriving in Varanasi at 3:00 PM the next day, as detailed by Senior DCM Samarth Gupta of the Lucknow Division. Moreover, eight trips for the New Delhi-Danapur reserved special trains 04090 and 04089 are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays in September 2026.
On the infrastructure front, Commissioner of Railway Safety E. Srinivas authorized a speed increase to 90 kmph on the second line of the Gorakhpur Cantt-Paniahwa section. Meanwhile, Bhimsen station currently handles five weekly trains, though recent passenger protests took place at Gorakhpur station on September 3 and 4, 2026, due to operational delays and non-interlocking work.