Kolkata: Central Railways has stated that a total of 1,484 summer special trains will be operated in the summer holiday season. The number includes as many as 749 reserved trains and 735 unreserved services. These trains are supposed to travel to different parts pf the country as well as to different parts of Maharashtra. Every year, passengers make a beeline for tickets both in ticket booking counters and through online and digital platforms. These additional trains can ease some pressure of passengers. All the details of these trains such as the timetable and information on stoppages for the additional trains will be released soon, reports indicated.

Summer holidays offer families an opportunity for parents to take their kids, who have schools and colleges closed for a few weeks, to holidays. While many want to travel to cooler climes of mountains, many families also travel to the warmer regions across the country, raising demand for train tickets to leaving for different parts of the country. A large number of people also plan to return to their hometowns during the summer holidays. Indian Railways has drawn up plans for summer special trains that will help all sections of passengers.

Some of the routes

The additional trains are expected to curb overcrowding and increase passenger convenience. The summer ushers in one of the busiest travel seasons of any year.

Predictably, the additional trains will be deployed on busy routes such as Mumbai/Daund–Solapur, Pune–Kolhapur, Nashik Road–Badnera and Hadapsar–Harangal (within Maharashtra). For those travelling to other states there will be trains on routes such as Mumbai–Ballia, Mumbai–Gorakhpur, Daund–Kalaburagi, Solapur–Kalaburagi and Anakapalle. The decision was taken early to help the people plan their travel schedules in advance. The demand for tickets frenzy as the summer holidays draw near.

AI predictive tools being employed

For any mass transit system, prediction of demand is a crucial part of planning. Indian Railways is now employing AI-based tools to project demand efficiently. These tools are helping the authorities in analyzing search for tickets, waiting lists and routes of passenger demand. In the coming days, if there is heavy demand in certain routes, additional trains may be introduced, officials told the media. The plan for the 2026 summer rush has been drawn up based on the data from 2025. The plan has the flexibility to step up services if demand warrants it.