Indian Railways announces special trains and extra stoppages for Sawan and Kanwar Mela 2026
Indian Railways has unveiled a comprehensive travel plan to assist millions of pilgrims during the holy month of Sawan and the upcoming Kanwar Mela 2026. With operations managed primarily by North Central, Northern, and East Central Railways, the initiative focuses on connecting major Jyotirlinga shrines and the popular Haridwar-Rishikesh route. Services are scheduled to commence in late July and will continue through August and September to accommodate the massive surge in passenger footfall.
Key highlights of the 2026 Sawan and Kanwar Mela special arrangements include:
- Dedicated Kanwar Mela special trains operating from Ghaziabad to Haridwar between July 30 and August 13.
- Extension of regular services and new special trains including the Haridwar-Delhi Shahdara and Yog Nagari Rishikesh-Delhi Shahdara routes.
- Special connectivity for Baba Baidyanath Dham (Deoghar), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), and Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi).
- Special 13-night Bharat Gaurav train package for 7 Jyotirlinga Darshan starting August 11, 2026.
Kanwar Mela 2026 Connectivity
To streamline travel to Haridwar, Northern Railway has scheduled special trains and extensions running from July 30 to August 28. The daily 04314 Haridwar-Delhi Shahdara Kanwar Mela Special will facilitate travel, with additional stops provided at Roorkee, Jwalapur, Tapri, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut City, and Ghaziabad. Notable service extensions include the Delhi-Shamli-Delhi DMU (74022/74023) and Delhi-Saharanpur-Delhi Passenger (64557/64558), which will reach Haridwar until August 13 and 14 respectively.
Jyotirlinga and Shravani Mela Specials
East Central Railway is boosting connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham with the Sahebganj-Danapur Intercity Express running as a special every Sunday from August 2 to August 30. Other key services include the Jaynagar-Asansol (05597) and Raxaul-Deoghar (05545) specials. For those visiting Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) and Somnath (Veraval), the Prayagraj-Veraval-Prayagraj Special (04173/04174) will run from August 6 to September 25. Additionally, pilgrims visiting Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi will have access to daily unreserved Shravani Mela specials between Prayagraj-Banaras and Subedarganj-Aunrihar starting July 29.
Bharat Gaurav Special Package
For a comprehensive pilgrimage experience, IRCTC has introduced a 13-night, 14-day “7 Jyotirlinga Darshan Shravan Special” via a Bharat Gaurav train. Commencing on August 11, 2026, from Solapur, this journey is priced at ₹24,050 per person. Passengers are strongly advised to verify all train timings and reservation statuses via the official website or NTES app before heading to the station. Please ensure you carry valid tickets to avoid inconvenience during this busy travel period.