Indian Railways rolls out 244 special trains for holiday rush (but fare hike is coming)
To help everyone get home (or away) for Christmas and New Year 2025-26, Indian Railways is adding 244 special trains across eight zones.
These extra trains will cover busy routes like Mumbai to Goa, Mumbai-Nagpur, Pune-Sanganer, Delhi-Howrah, and busy corridors connecting Delhi, Howrah, Lucknow, and nearby cities—just in time before fares go up on December 26 for trips over 215km.
Where are these extra trains running?
Central Railway is putting out 76 special trips from Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.
Western Railway has lined up 72 more to the Konkan coast.
Other zones are pitching in too, with between four and 26 extra services each to handle the festive crowd.
What's changing with fares?
From December 26, longer journeys will cost a bit more: ordinary class tickets go up by one paisa per km; Mail/Express non-AC/AC tickets rise by two paise per km.
For example, a non-AC Mail/Express trip of 500km will be ₹10 pricier.
Suburban and monthly passes stay the same.
How does this affect you?
If you're planning a long trip—say Mumbai to Delhi—you'll pay about ₹15 more in ordinary class or ₹30 more in Mail/Express after the hike kicks in, based on estimated calculations for the per-kilometre increase.
The good news: these special trains should make it easier to grab a seat during peak season travel chaos!