Hyderabad: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced a 20% festive train discount for passengers travelling during Dussehra and Diwali. The offer applies only to round-trip bookings. Passengers who book tickets for onward journeys between October 13 and October 26, 2025, and return journeys between November 17 and December 1, 2025, will be eligible for this discount.
Middle-class travellers often prefer trains during festivals as bus fares rise sharply. The scheme is expected to benefit lakhs of passengers heading to their hometowns across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
New Tatkal booking rules and special trains
The government recently introduced Aadhaar-based authentication for Tatkal ticket booking on the IRCTC website and app to curb touts. Passengers must validate bookings using a one-time password sent to their Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Authorised agents can access Tatkal bookings only after the first 30 minutes, post 10:30 a.m. for AC classes and after 11:30 a.m. for non-AC classes.
Meanwhile, South Central Railway introduced 48 special trains to handle the festive rush. Services include the Kakinada–Lingampalli and Kakinada–Charlapalli routes, operating three times a week. The Kakinada Town–Charlapalli (07447) will run from July 5, 2025, to March 28, 2026. Its return service (07448) runs from July 6, 2025, to March 29, 2026. The Kakinada Town–Lingampalli (07445) operates from July 2, 2025, to March 30, 2026, while Lingampalli–Kakinada Town (07446) runs from July 3, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
The special trains will include 1AC, 2AC, 3AC, 3AC economy, sleeper, and general second-class coaches. Officials expect passengers travelling from Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana villages during the festival season to benefit.
