Holi Special Trains: Northern Railway to Operate 500 Extra Trips from Delhi Terminals

Northern Railway has ramped up Holi operations from Delhi, announcing over 500 additional special trips from New Delhi, Delhi Junction and Anand Vihar to handle the festive rush toward Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, eastern India and Jammu and Kashmir. Officials say the extra services, backed by new crowd-control systems and holding areas, are aimed at preventing a repeat of past congestion scares as lakhs of migrants head home before Holi on March 4.

The expanded Holi plan is part of a nationwide festive operation, with more than 600 extra trips by other zones also touching the National Capital Region. Northern Railway’s focus remains Delhi’s major terminals, which saw intense crowding during previous festivals. This year, trains have been staggered across days and routes, with bookings already surging on popular corridors toward Gorakhpur, Patna, Darbhanga, Katihar, Jammu and other migrant hubs.

Holi special trains from NDLS, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar

Officials said around 500 additional trips are being operated under Northern Railway alone, over and above regular services, with most routed through New Delhi (NDLS), Delhi Junction (DLI) and Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT). Many of these are extensions or frequency boosts on high-demand routes toward eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while others are full-fare reserved specials scheduled to run until March 31, 2026.

Key Holi specials mirror last year’s festive pattern, when Northern Railway and Delhi Division pushed multiple reserved and unreserved trains from NDLS, DLI, ANVT and Delhi Sarai Rohilla. Services then linked Anand Vihar with Jaynagar and Jogbani, while other zones added trains between Amritsar, Ferozepur, Danapur and Katihar to strengthen links with Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Similar composition and overnight timings are being followed this season, with sleeper and general coaches in high proportion.

Terminal	Primary directions	Indicative Holi specials focus
New Delhi (NDLS)	UP, Bihar, J&K	Long-distance reserved specials via platform 16
Delhi Jn (Old Delhi)	UP, Uttarakhand, J&K	Mix of reserved and unreserved crowd-puller trains
Anand Vihar (ANVT)	Eastern UP, Bihar	Holi specials toward Jaynagar, Jogbani, Katihar belt

Crowd-control measures at New Delhi and Anand Vihar

To keep the Holi rush under control, Northern Railway has turned New Delhi station’s Ajmeri Gate side into a structured holding and dispersal zone. A permanent holding area near this entry, operational since late 2025, can now accommodate up to 7,000 passengers at a time, divided into pre-ticketing, ticketing, and post-ticketing zones with extra staff and ticket counters in place.

A senior official said the station has 18 CCTV cameras, five luggage scanners, five door-frame metal detectors and three LED display systems supervising the Holi crowd. Most special trains are being worked from platform 16, supported by a mini control room that tracks passenger density and regulates access. Queue dividers in serpentine formations and dedicated ticket-checking squads are tasked with preventing overcrowding in reserved coaches and on foot overbridges.

Temporary holding areas and Delhi Division advisory

Beyond NDLS, temporary holding areas are being set up at Anand Vihar Terminal and Ghaziabad, which consistently record dense migrant traffic during Holi. Northern Railway’s Delhi Division advisory stresses that only passengers with valid tickets will be allowed on platforms, and that entry gates and bridges have been rationalised so crowds can be channelled through specific access points instead of converging chaotically at multiple doors.

Last year, Delhi Division had already tested restricted entry at Ajmeri Gate, routing passengers to platforms 1–15 through designated foot overbridges while earmarking separate gates for those using platform 16. Those patterns are being refined this Holi season with additional Railway Protection Force personnel and help desks guiding passengers to the correct trains and coaches. Officials say these measures are informed by the February 2025 stampede, after which capacity thresholds and holding protocols were tightened.

What passengers from Delhi should do now

Railway officials are urging passengers to check train numbers, departure dates and boarding stations carefully before booking, since many Holi specials operate on select days only and may use a different terminal from usual. Travellers are advised to arrive well in advance, follow signages toward holding areas and queues, keep luggage light and labelled, and rely on official railway websites, NTES, 139 helpline and station announcements for last-minute changes.

For lakhs leaving Delhi toward UP, Bihar, the east and Jammu and Kashmir, this year’s Holi operations blend additional capacity with a visible focus on safety. The combination of over 500 extra trips, holding zones, CCTV-backed monitoring and stricter entry rules is meant to make festive journeys predictable rather than chaotic, even as demand pushes many key routes close to full occupancy days in advance.