Railways announces 400 special trains for Puri Rath Yatra and Onam festival rush (Image: ECoR)Indian Railways special trains: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced that Indian Railways will run 300 special trains for this year’s Puri Rath Yatra and 100 special trains for the Onam festival in Kerala. These special trains will handle the festive rush and meet the increased travel demand during both festivals.This year, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra will begin on July 16. Meanwhile, the Onam festival will be celebrated next month.The Railway Minister made the announcement during his visit to Odisha, where he flagged off two new trains to improve rail connectivity: the Puri-Koraput Express and the Brahmapur-Udhna Amrit Bharat Express, which will operate daily.Also Read | Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project: India’s largest rail tunnel boring machine starts excavationRath Yatra, Onam special train 2026During his visit, Vaishnaw also reviewed the arrangements at Puri railway station, including crowd management, passenger movement and operational preparedness. A holding area is also being developed to accommodate more than 30,000 devotees.“This year, more than 300 specials are planned for Rath Yatra. These are additional trains to the regular more than 800 trains. On the occasion of Onam, we will be running more than 100 special trains this year,” the minister said.The Ministry of Railways joins the people of Kerala in celebrating #Onam2026Over 100 Special Train services will be notified to facilitate travel for passengers going to their hometowns across Kerala to celebrate the festival with their families.#Onam2026 #IndianRailways… pic.twitter.com/C5Z2kOrPZE— Southern Railway (@GMSRailway) July 6, 2026Last year, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) operated 365 special trains, in addition to its regular services, to handle the Rath Yatra rush. These trains connected Puri with various parts of the country, including: Rourkela, Biramitrapur, Bangiriposi, Junagarh Road, Badampahar, Boudh, Jagadalpur, Baleswar, Angul, Gunupur, Rayagada, Paradeep, Bhadrak, Kendujhar, Daspalla, Khurda Road, Bhadrak, Sambalpur, Talcher, Cuttack, Brahmapur, Dhenkanal, Barbil, Palasa & Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Gondia (Chhattisgarh) and Santragachhi (West Bengal).Railways to add extra coaches to trains to meet passenger rushThe East Coast Railway has already announced the temporary addition of extra coaches to several trains to generate more berths for passengers travelling on these routes. The trains are:Train No. 18463 Bhubaneswar–KSR Bengaluru Prashanti Express will be augmented with one AC Three-Tier coach from 01.07.2026 to 31.07.2026.Train No. 18464 KSR Bengaluru–Bhubaneswar Prashanti Express , will be augmented with one AC Three-Tier coach from 02.07.2026 to 01.08.2026.Train No. 12819 Bhubaneswar–Anand Vihar Terminal Odisha Sampark Kranti Express will be augmented with one AC Three-Tier Coach from 01.07.2026 to 29.07.2026, while Train No. 12820 Anand Vihar Terminal–Bhubaneswar Sampark Kranti Express will be augmented from 03.07.2026 to 31.07.2026.Train No. 22879 Bhubaneswar–Tirupati Express will be augmented with one AC Three-Tier Coach from 04.07.2026 to 25.07.2026, and Train No. 22880 Tirupati–Bhubaneswar Express from 05.07.2026 to 26.07.2026.Train No. 18301 Sambalpur–Rayagada Express and Train No. 18302 Rayagada–Sambalpur Express will be augmented with one AC Chair Car Coach from 01.07.2026 to 31.07.2026.Train No. 18447 Bhubaneswar–Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express will be augmented with one AC Three-Tier Coach from 01.07.2026 to 31.07.2026, while Train No. 18448 Jagdalpur –Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express will be augmented from 02.07.2026 to 01.08.2026.Train No. 18417 Puri–Gunupur Express and Train No. 18418 Gunupur–Puri Express will be augmented with one AC Chair Car Coach from 01.07.2026 to 31.07.2026 and 02.07.2026 to 01.08.2026, respectively, on a daily basis.Train No. 20832 Sambalpur–Shalimar Express will be augmented with one Sleeper Class Coach from 02.07.2026 to 30.07.2026, while Train No. 20831 Shalimar–Sambalpur Express will be augmented with one Sleeper Class Coach from 03.07.2026 to 31.07.2026 only on nominated days.Train No. 12893 Bhubaneswar–Puruna Katak Superfast Express and Train No. 12894 Puruna Katak–Bhubaneswar Superfast Intercity Express will be augmented with two General Second Class Coaches from 01.07.2026 to 31.07.2026 and 02.07.2026 to 01.08.2026, respectively, on a daily basis.Anish Mondal is a journalist with over nine years of experience covering the railways and roadways. Currently a member of the Indianexpress.com editorial team, Anish specializes in high-impact sectors. Professional Journey Anish began his career at the public broadcaster Rajya Sabha Television (now Sansad TV), where he developed a foundational understanding of legislative processes and national governance. In 2018, he transitioned to digital financial journalism at FinancialExpress.com, spending nearly six years refining his expertise in market trends and corporate reporting. Before joining The Indian Express in 2025, he served as a key contributor at ETNowNews.com. Education & Expertise Anish’s reporting is backed by a rigorous academic background in communication and the humanities: Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) – Apeejay Stya University Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Production (PGTVRJP) – Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication Bachelor of Arts (English Honours) – University of Calcutta Areas of Coverage Connectivity: Detailed reporting on the expansion of Indian Railways and National Highway networks. ... Read More