New Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Festival Special train: Indian Railways (IR) is set to operate a Vande Bharat special train between New Delhi and Patna Junction to clear the extra rush of passengers during the festive season. The announcement of semi-high-speed train comes as demand for travel on the route rises ahead of Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja, with regular trains witnessing high occupancy. The service will be operated and maintained by the Northern Railway (NR) zone.In a statement, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway said: “To clear the additional rush during the festive season and to facilitate the convenient travel of passengers, Railways have decided to run New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat festival Special Express.”Also Read | Vande Bharat train manufactured in Punjab completes 180 kmph trial on Mathura-Nagda sectionNew Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Express: Train number, Route, Distance, Travel TimeThe New Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Express will run as train number 02252/02251. It will run via Prayagraj Junction. This new Vande Bharat Special train will cover a distance of 998 km in around 13 hours.New Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Express: Coach Composition, FrequencyThe New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat Festival Special will offer two seating classes: AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car.Train number 02252, operating from New Delhi to Patna, will commence its commercial service on October 16 and 18, 2026. It will subsequently run from October 21 to November 25, 2026, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.In the return direction, train number 02251 from Patna to New Delhi will commence its commercial service on October 17 and 19, 2026. It will subsequently operate from October 22 to November 26, 2026, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The two services will operate a total of 18 trips in each direction.Also Read | GNWL vs RLWL vs PQWL vs TQWL: Which railway waitlist has the best chance of confirmation?New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat Special Express: StoppagesDuring its journey between New Delhi and Patna, train number 02252/02251 Vande Bharat Festival Special will stop at six railway stations. These are: Aligarh, Kanpur Central, Prayagraj, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Buxar and Ara.Story continues below this adNew Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat Train: TimingsTrain number 02252, the New Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Festival Special, will depart from New Delhi at 08:35 hrs and arrive at Patna Junction at 21:30 hrs.Train number 02251, operating from Patna to New Delhi, will depart from Patna Junction at 10:00 hrs and arrive at New Delhi at 23:30 hrs.New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat Special Express: Ticket bookingTicket bookings for the New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat Festival Special will begin soon. Passengers will be able to book tickets through both online and offline mode. For online reservations, passengers can use the IRCTC website, while offline bookings will be available at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters at railway stations.