Vande Bharat Express among 21 special trains announced by Indian Railways for year-end travel

The Northern Railway division of Indian Railways has unveiled an extensive schedule of 21 special trains across premium, superfast, and long-haul categories to accommodate the surge in passenger movement expected during the end-of-year travel period.

The announcement comes at a time when the East Central Railway (ECR) has begun a winter preparedness plan, suspending 24 services between December 2025 and March 2026 due to anticipated dense fog across northern and eastern India.

Northern Railway Rolls Out Additional Services

According to reports by The Indian Express, the temporary train roster has been designed to ease crowding across heavily travelled corridors linking Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The list includes a special edition of the Vande Bharat Express operating between New Delhi and Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Terminal in Jammu Tawi, along with several superfast and reserved services connecting regions that typically see heavy holiday-season movement.

Most of the trains will run as fully reserved specials on specific days, with schedules aligned to existing long-distance operations.

Full List of Northern Railway Special Trains:

Gorakhpur – Anand Vihar Terminal Specials

05591 Gorakhpur to Anand Vihar Terminal Special

05592 Anand Vihar Terminal to Gorakhpur Special

Vande Bharat Special (New Delhi – Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Terminal)

02439 New Delhi to Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Vande Bharat Special Express

02440 Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan to New Delhi Vande Bharat Special Express

New Delhi – Mumbai Central Superfast Specials

04002 New Delhi to Mumbai Central Reserved Superfast Special Express

04001 Mumbai Central to New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special Express

Thiruvananthapuram One-Way Superfast Special

04080 Hazrat Nizamuddin to Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (one-way)

New Delhi – Howrah Reserved Specials

04460 New Delhi to Howrah Reserved Special Express

04459 Howrah to New Delhi Reserved Special Express

Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Sabarmati Reserved Specials

04062 Delhi Sarai Rohilla to Sabarmati Reserved Special Express

04061 Sabarmati to Delhi Sarai Rohilla Reserved Special Express

Patna – Anand Vihar Terminal Specials

02309 Patna to Anand Vihar Terminal Special

02310 Anand Vihar Terminal to Patna Special

02395 Patna to Anand Vihar Terminal Special

02396 Anand Vihar Terminal to Patna Special

Darbhanga – Anand Vihar Terminal Specials

05563 Darbhanga to Anand Vihar Terminal Special

05564 Anand Vihar Terminal to Darbhanga Special

Mumbai Central – Shakur Basti Superfast Specials

09003 Mumbai Central to Shakur Basti Superfast Special

09004 Shakur Basti to Mumbai Central Superfast Special

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East Central Railway suspends select trains

While Northern Railway expands services, the East Central Railway has executed a parallel winter-readiness plan involving the cancellation of 24 long-distance trains from 1 December 2025 to 3 March 2026.

The decision, based on seasonal visibility forecasts, aims to minimise disruptions and operational hazards during the region’s dense fog phase.

The suspended trains include major inter-state services such as the Prayagraj–Muzaffarpur Express, Dehradun–Howrah Upasana Express, Malda Town–New Delhi Express, and Kamakhya–Anand Vihar Express. Routes linking Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, West Bengal and the National Capital Region are among those affected.