India’s summer travel rush is set to see a significant capacity boost this year.
Indian Railways has cleared 908 special trains to run between April 15 and July 15, 2026, which together will operate 18,262 trips across the network, according to PIB data. Last year, Railways had announced 12,417 summer special trains.
Of the 908 trains approved, 660 have been notified so far, translating into 11,294 trips that are now open for booking. In effect, more than half the planned summer schedule is already available to passengers, even as the Railways continues to roll out additional services in phases.
Zone-Wise Breakdown
The summer special train operations span all major railway zones. Central Railway leads in trips with 74 approved trains set to run 3,082 trips, of which 70 trains covering 2,238 trips have already been notified.
East Central Railway follows with 2,711 trips across 64 trains, with 38 trains covering 1,060 trips notified. North Western Railway has 2,245 trips across 76 trains approved, with 62 trains covering 1,878 trips notified.
Northern Railway has 2,090 trips across 76 trains approved, with 56 trains covering 1,535 trips notified. Western Railway has 2,078 trips across 106 trains approved, with 92 trains covering 1,667 trips notified.
South Central Railway has the highest number of trains approved at 124, with 1,184 trips, though only 76 trains covering 324 trips have been notified so far. The North Central Railway is leading the effort, scheduling 1,163 trips across 54 trains, which is the highest among all zones. This is followed by North Eastern Railway with 814 trips across 52 trains.
In the southern belt, South Western Railway has planned 509 trips across 76 trains, while Southern Railway is operating 558 trips using 72 trains.
Among the eastern zones, East Coast Railway has scheduled 410 trips across 28 trains, closely followed by West Central Railway with 408 trips on 28 trains. Eastern Railway is running 392 trips across 24 trains.
The numbers taper off further down the list. South Eastern Railway has 276 trips across 20 trains, while Northeast Frontier Railway has lined up 220 trips using 24 trains. At the lower end, South East Central Railway has scheduled 122 trips across 10 trains.
South Western Railway’s Revenue in 2025
South Western Railway’s performance during the previous financial year offers some context on revenue from special train operations. Between April and October 2025, SWR operated 355 special trains and earned Rs 171.47 crore, marking an increase of 23% Rs 138.83 crore earned from 351 trains during the same period in FY 2024–25, an increase of Rs 32.64 crore.
Some 19.55 lakh passengers used SWR’s special trains during this period, with a booking rate of 114% against a defined berth capacity of 17.15 lakh, as per South Western Railway.