New Delhi: The grand festival of Chhath begins today, sparking great enthusiasm among the people. There is an overwhelming rush of travellers heading home to Bihar and the Purvanchal region. Buses, trains, and flights are packed; flight tickets have become virtually impossible to secure, and all sleeper and AC berths on trains are already fully booked. Some people have even been spotted travelling on the roofs of trains to reach home for the festival.
Trains arriving in Bihar from Punjab, Haryana, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai are completely overcrowded. For the people of Bihar and the Purvanchal region, this festival is not just a celebration, but an occasion to reunite with family. Millions who work away from home return to be with their loved ones. The government has deployed hundreds of special trains and buses to manage the demand, while airfares have skyrocketed. The festival commences on November 13 with ‘Nahay-Khay’ and concludes with ‘Usha Arghya’ and ‘Paran’.
Difficulty in Securing Confirmed Train Tickets
The surge of people travelling to Bihar for Chhath continues, with passengers struggling to obtain confirmed train tickets. Even after long waits, many tickets remain unconfirmed. Most major trains are showing a ‘regret’ status for bookings, while the waiting lists for other trains are so extensive that there is virtually no chance of confirmation. A massive rush of passengers travelling from Surat to Bihar has also been observed. According to railway officials, 37,698 tickets were purchased in a single day for trains departing from Udhna station toward Jaynagar in Bihar.
Anticipating this heavy rush, the Railways decided to operate additional services. The East Central Railway has introduced 103 pairs of special trains bound for Bihar and its surrounding regions. South Central Railway has prepared to operate approximately 400 special trains in November. These trains will facilitate travel to cities such as Patna, Darbhanga, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, and Howrah.
Special trains are also arranged from Delhi to Bihar.
The Railways has arranged special trains for those travelling from Delhi to Bihar. A special train will operate between Muzaffarpur and Anand Vihar Terminal. Train 05281 will depart from Muzaffarpur at 6:30 AM on November 18 and arrive at Anand Vihar at 5:00 AM the following day. On the return leg, train 05282 will depart from Anand Vihar at 7:00 AM on November 19 and reach Muzaffarpur at 4:50 AM on November 21. En route, it will pass through Gorakhpur, Basti, Gonda, Lucknow, Hardoi, Shahjahanpur, and Moradabad.
Flight fares have ssurged
The rush surrounding Chhath Puja has become so intense that the cost of flights to Patna is putting a significant strain on travellers’ pockets. On certain routes, flight tickets booked via MakeMyTrip have reached prices exceeding ₹44,000. The lowest fare from Delhi to Patna is ₹15,367, which is for a non-stop SpiceJet flight.
Meanwhile, the most expensive ticket on this route is priced at ₹30,385. For travel from Mumbai to Patna, the lowest fare starts at ₹18,401—a rate applicable to a flight with one stop. For a non-stop flight, passengers would have to spend at least ₹22,913. For the Pune to Patna route, fares range from a minimum of ₹14,247 to a maximum of ₹27,490.
