North Western Railway announces Khatipura Howrah special train for Raksha Bandhan

The North Western Railway has announced the operation of a special train service between Khatipura and Howrah to manage the surge in passenger traffic during the Raksha Bandhan festival. Amit Sudarshan, Chief Public Relations Officer of NWR, confirmed that the special train will conduct one trip in each direction to facilitate holiday travel.

Train No. 09709, the Khatipura-Howrah Special, is scheduled to depart from Khatipura on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM, arriving in Howrah at 10:15 PM on Sunday, August 30. The return service, Train No. 09710, will depart from Howrah on Monday, August 31, 2026, at 12:15 AM and reach Khatipura at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

Train Composition and Halts

The service will feature a composition of 23 coaches, including two Second AC, four Third AC, seven sleeper, eight general, and two guard coaches. To accommodate passengers across the route, the train is slated to halt at 23 stations, including Dausa, Bandikui, Bharatpur, Idgah (Agra), Tundla, Etawah, Govindpuri (serving Kanpur), Subedarganj (serving Prayagraj), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Bhabhua Road, Sasaram, Dehri On Sone, Anugraha Narayan Road, Gaya, Koderma, Hazaribagh, Parasnath, NSBC Gomo, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, Bardhaman, and Bandel.