# Northern Railway announces festival special trains from Katra, Jammu, Delhi

2026-09-19T03:06:34+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Northern Railway's Jammu division will run three reserved festival special trains connecting Katra, Jammu Tawi, Varanasi and New Delhi from next month to handle the Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath Puja rush. A railway spokesperson called the move a "big gift" for passengers, saying the trains will clear waiting lists and ensure a safe journey. The Katra-Varanasi special will make 9 trips each way from October 4 to November 29, a Jammu Tawi-Varanasi special will run 9 trips from October 1 to November 27, and a New Delhi-Katra special will make 4 trips from October 8 to 12. Separately, two other festival special trains will run through the Bhopal division: a Sultanpur-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus special with 4 trips starting October 21, and a Varanasi-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus special with 4 trips from October 22. Additionally, West Central Railway will run a bi-weekly Rani Kamlapati-Danapur special with 22 services from October 12 to November 17. The services aim to connect religious sites in north India and ease congestion on regular trains.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The coverage across all three sources is uniform straight reporting of Railway Board announcements with no discernible slant. Greater Kashmir leads with Northern Railway's spokesperson framing the trains as a gift and a relief measure, while Freepress Journal articles add route details and station halts without editorial comment. With no critical or political framing present, the story is a straightforward operational update. The practical question is whether these 9-22 service trains can meaningfully reduce waiting lists in a season when lakhs travel. Passenger feedback and ticket booking data after Dussehra will be the actual measure of success, not official announcements.

## Coverage

- greaterkashmir.com (neutral report) <https://www.greaterkashmir.com/jammu/northern-railways-jammu-division-to-run-3-special-trains-to-meet-festival-rush-12549808>
  Straight announcement with quote from railway spokesperson, no slant
- freepressjournal.in (neutral report) <https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/4-trips-each-for-festival-special-trains-between-sultanpurvaranasi-and-lokmanya-tilak-terminus>
  Schedule-only reporting with no commentary or evaluation
- freepressjournal.in (neutral report) <https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/diwali-dussehra-special-trains-rani-kamlapatidanapur-bi-weekly-train-to-run-from-oct-12-check-schedule>
  Schedule-only reporting with no commentary or evaluation

Tags: Indian Railways, Jammu, Katra, New Delhi, Northern Railway, Varanasi
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/northern-railway-to-run-special-trains-for-festival-rush-from-october/#story-in-brief