Taking train home for Holi? REGRET, say Rajdhanis, Specials have long waitlists
India Today
The Holi rush has peaked across northern India. Flight tickets have breached the Rs 20,000 mark. Amid this, premium services like the Rajdhani and Duronto expresses have long wait lists, and the ones on high-priority sectors have shown REGRET. Even additional Holi special trains announced by the Indian Railways have waiting lists, leaving passengers scrambling for confirmed tickets.
The festival of colours, Holi, on March 4, and Holika Dahan on March 3, has triggered a massive travel rush across northern and eastern India. For those who can afford flights, they are booking anyway, even though fares are sky-high. Tickets for some sectors have crossed Rs 20,000 per seat. But for those who cannot, and that is the majority of migrants in India, trains remain the only lifeline for long-distance travel across the Gangetic plain.
Because of the Holi rush, migrants looking for a last minute seat home are finding trains heavily overbooked.
Premium rail services like Rajdhani and Duronto Express, where fares are dynamic like flights, are showing REGRET status, meaning no seats available. Regular mail, express and superfast trains, where prices are static, saw tickets shoot into triple digit waiting lists on the very day bookings opened 60 days ago.
Even the Special Trains announced by Indian Railways to manage the Holi surge are running long waiting lists, especially on high-demand routes, from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Holi and Holika Dahan traditionally draw millions back to their hometowns, especially in north and east India. Migrant workers and professionals based in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and other metros begin travelling nearly a week to days in advance.
This year too, bookings surged. And, as always, demand outpaced supply.
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