Diwali & Chhath Puja 2026 train tickets from Delhi
Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November and Chhath Puja runs from 13 to 16 November. It is the hardest fortnight of the year to get a berth from Delhi to Bihar and eastern UP — and because tickets open 60 days ahead, booking for most festival travel opens in September.
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Diwali and Chhath at a glance
Sunday
8 November
Diwali
Lakshmi Puja
Friday
13 November
Nahay Khay
Chhath begins
Saturday
14 November
Kharna
Day two
Sunday
15 November
Sandhya Arghya
Evening offering
Monday
16 November
Usha Arghya
Chhath ends
When booking opens for your date
Find your travel day below, or check any date. Book the morning it opens — festival dates don't wait.
Going home for Diwali
| Travel on | Booking opens |
|---|---|
| Tue 3 Nov | Fri 4 Sep… |
| Wed 4 Nov | Sat 5 Sep… |
| Thu 5 Nov | Sun 6 Sep… |
| Fri 6 Nov | Mon 7 Sep… |
| Sat 7 Nov | Tue 8 Sep… |
Going home for Chhath
| Travel on | Booking opens |
|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov | Thu 10 Sep… |
| Tue 10 Nov | Fri 11 Sep… |
| Wed 11 Nov | Sat 12 Sep… |
| Thu 12 Nov | Sun 13 Sep… |
| Fri 13 Nov | Mon 14 Sep… |
Coming back to Delhi
| Travel on | Booking opens |
|---|---|
| Mon 16 Nov | Thu 17 Sep… |
| Tue 17 Nov | Fri 18 Sep… |
| Wed 18 Nov | Sat 19 Sep… |
| Thu 19 Nov | Sun 20 Sep… |
| Fri 20 Nov | Mon 21 Sep… |
Check your own date
- Booking opens
- Sun 13 Sep 2026, 8:00 AM
- …
- Tatkal opens
- Wed 11 Nov 2026
- 10:00 AM for AC classes, 11:00 AM for non-AC
Count from the day the train leaves its starting station. A few short-distance trains open later than 60 days.
How to get a berth for the festival
Book the morning your date opens
On the busiest Bihar and eastern UP trains, general quota for peak festival dates can be gone the same morning it opens. If your date is already open, book now rather than waiting for a better train to appear.
Move your journey by a day or two
The days just before Chhath are the most oversubscribed of the season. Leaving two or three days earlier, or coming back a day later, often turns a hopeless waiting list into a confirmed berth.
Check every Delhi terminal
Many Bihar-bound trains leave from Anand Vihar Terminal and Old Delhi, not only New Delhi. Looking across all of them widens the choice considerably.
Look one class up
When Sleeper and 3A are waitlisted, 2A or First AC on the same corridor sometimes still has berths. For a family going home, a confirmed 2A beats a waitlisted 3A.
Watch for festival special trains
Railways usually adds festival specials for Diwali and Chhath and announces them in the weeks before. They open for booking when announced, often with good availability at first. Tell us your route and we'll book as soon as a suitable one opens.
Keep Tatkal as the second chance
Tatkal opens one day before the journey, at 10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for non-AC. On festival dates it is the most contested booking of the year, so treat it as a backup, not the plan.
Not sure which Delhi station your train leaves from? Delhi's five terminals, explained →
The festival corridors from Delhi
Delhi to Patna →
The heart of Chhath travel, and the hardest tickets of the season.
Delhi to Gorakhpur →
Eastern UP, and the route many north Bihar trains take.
Delhi to Varanasi →
Purvanchal families going home, and pilgrims visiting the ghats.
Delhi to Lucknow →
Short enough for a day train, busy enough to sell out over Diwali.
Delhi to Kolkata →
Kali Puja falls on Diwali night, so eastbound trains fill early.
Delhi to Ayodhya →
Deepotsav, on the eve of Diwali, brings huge crowds to Ayodhya.
And every other festival destination — Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Siwan, Chhapra, Saharsa, Purnia, Raxaul, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Prayagraj, Ballia and Deoria.
Booking for the whole family?
Send every passenger's name, age and gender in one message and we book the party together wherever the train allows. For bigger groups — a housing society, a village, or a company sending staff home for Chhath — use the group booking form.
Group booking form →Already holding a festival waiting list?
Festival waiting lists move less than usual, because very few people cancel a trip home for Chhath. Send us the PNR and we'll tell you honestly whether it is likely to clear, and what to book now if it isn't. No agent can add berths to a sold-out train; what we promise is a straight answer early, and a confirmed ticket or 100% refund.
What our customers say
“Messaged at 9:50 AM for a same-day AC Tatkal. They were ready at 10 sharp and I had a confirmed berth within minutes. A real person beats refreshing the app yourself.”
“Booked Tatkal for our whole family in one go on WhatsApp. Super smooth, kept us updated.”
Diwali and Chhath train booking, answered
When does train booking open for Chhath Puja 2026?+
Sixty days before the journey, not counting the journey date, at 8:00 AM. For travel on 12 November, booking opened on 13 September; for a return on 17 November, it opens on 18 September. The date checker on this page works it out for any date.
When is Chhath Puja in 2026?+
Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Friday 13 November (Nahay Khay) to Monday 16 November (Usha Arghya), with Kharna on Saturday 14 November and Sandhya Arghya on Sunday 15 November.
When is Diwali in 2026?+
Diwali is on Sunday 8 November 2026.
Will there be Chhath special trains in 2026?+
Indian Railways has run festival special trains for Diwali and Chhath in previous years and usually announces them a few weeks ahead. Nobody can book one until it is announced — tell us your route and we'll book as soon as a suitable special opens.
Is a waiting list ticket for Chhath worth booking?+
Only with care. Festival waiting lists move less than usual because few people cancel a trip home. A general waiting list booked early on a long route has a chance; a pooled or remote-location list rarely clears. Send us the PNR for an honest read.
Can I book Tatkal for Diwali or Chhath travel?+
Yes. Tatkal opens one day before the journey, at 10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for non-AC classes. On festival dates it is extremely contested, so book general quota first and keep Tatkal as a backup.
Why can't I book my festival travel date yet?+
Because it is more than 60 days away. Booking opens 60 days before the date the train leaves its starting station, at 8:00 AM — so if you join the train partway, count from its starting date, not the day you board.