Bhubaneswar: To facilitate smooth and comfortable travel during the upcoming Holi festival, East Coast Railway (ECoR) will be operating 132 Holi special trains from its jurisdiction, officials said.
In addition, 150 more Holi special trains originating from various parts of the country will pass through ECoR station jurisdiction, significantly enhancing travel capacity, they added. Every year, passenger movement increases substantially during Holi as people travel to home to celebrate with their families.
Keeping this in view, the special trains will operate from the last week of February till the end of March 2026 on several high-demand routes. Major originating special train routes from ECoR includes Bhubaneswar – Yesvantpur, Bhubaneswar – Dhanbad, Sambalpur – Erode and Puri – Patna. From Visakhapatnam, special trains are being operated towards Tirupati, Shalimar, Cherlapalli and SMVT Bengaluru.
Routes such as Bhubaneswar–Yesvantpur, Visakhapatnam–Tirupati, Visakhapatnam–Shalimar, Visakhapatnam–SMVT Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar–Dhanbad and Puri–Patna are witnessing particularly heavy demand during the festival period.
Apart from the trains originating from ECoR, around 150 Holi special trains from major cities including Ernakulam, Barauni, Delhi, Patna, Bhusaval, Muzaffarpur, Santragachi, Thiruvananthapuram, Naharlagun, Tata, Bengaluru, Gomati Nagar, Chennai and Kolkata will pass through various stations under ECoR jurisdiction, further augmenting connectivity and passenger convenience.
Comprehensive arrangements have been made at major stations under ECoR jurisdiction to effectively manage the festive rush. Dedicated holding areas have been earmarked at important stations such as Bhubaneswar, Puri, Sambalpur, Brahmapur and Visakhapatnam to regulate passenger flow. Queuing arrangements with proper barricading have been planned to facilitate orderly boarding of special trains. Additional Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and commercial staff have been deployed at key stations to guide passengers and maintain discipline.
Continuous public announcements will keep passengers informed about train arrivals and platform numbers, among others. Passengers are advised to check detailed schedules, timings, stoppages and seat availability through official railway enquiry systems and the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation before planning their journey.