Indian Railways introduces biweekly festival special trains between Varanasi and Chandigarh
Indian Railways has announced the operation of new bi-weekly festival special trains between Varanasi and Chandigarh to manage the massive passenger rush during the upcoming festive season covering Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhaths. Operated by Northern Railway, these special services are designed to provide relief to travellers during the peak holiday period.
Key highlights of the new festival special train services include:
- Train numbers 04227 and 04228 will run bi-weekly between Varanasi and Chandigarh from October 1 to November 30, 2026.
- The trains feature a 20-coach composition including AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper, and General classes.
- An additional weekly Chandigarh-Patna festival special train with a stop at Varanasi has also been announced.
Schedule and Timings
For the journey from Uttar Pradesh to Punjab, Train number 04227 will operate from Varanasi to Chandigarh every Thursday and Sunday, starting from October 1, 2026, and concluding on November 29, 2026. The train will depart from Varanasi Junction at 11:05 AM and reach Chandigarh at 4:20 AM the following day.
For the return journey, Train number 04228 will run from Chandigarh to Varanasi every Friday and Monday from October 2, 2026, through November 30, 2026. It will depart from Chandigarh at 6:00 AM and arrive at Varanasi at 12:55 PM the next day.
Route and Connectivity
To improve direct connectivity and avoid congestion, the route for train 04227 bypasses the New Delhi route entirely. It includes scheduled halts at Maa Bela Devi Dham Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Roorkee, Saharanpur, and Ambala Cantt.
Reservations for travel covering the Diwali festival period, which falls on November 8, 2026, officially opened on September 6, 2026.
Additional Chandigarh Patna Special
In addition to the Varanasi-Chandigarh service, Northern Railway has introduced the Chandigarh-Patna festival special train (04512/04511). This weekly service will operate for 18 trips between October 1 and November 27, 2026, and will also feature a convenient stop at Varanasi. Passengers are strongly advised to verify train operations, timings, and seat availability through official Indian Railways channels before planning their journey.