The Mahakumbh Mela, held every 12 years, is one of the most significant spiritual gatherings in the world, attracting millions of devotees from across the globe. In 2019, the Kumbh Mela witnessed a staggering 150 million attendees, and the numbers for the 2025 Mahakumbh Mela are expected to surpass 200 million. To accommodate this massive influx, the Indian Railways has introduced a series of special trains connecting key cities to Prayagraj, the epicentre of this grand event.
This blog highlights the various special train services, their schedules, and the convenience they offer to ensure a smooth and memorable journey for pilgrims.
Whether you’re travelling from Jayanagar, Bhubaneswar, Titlagarh, or even as far as Katra, these trains are designed to provide comfortable and accessible transportation for devotees eager to take part in this sacred event.
Keep reading for detailed information about train routes, booking procedures, and tips to secure your tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Special Trains for Mahakumbh
- Jayanagar to Jhusi
India’s North Eastern Railway department has arranged a special train run from Jayanagar to Jhusi, a station near the Prayagraj. During this journey, the train will stop at Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, and Varanasi stations. It will take the train around half a day to complete the trip of approximately 540 KM.
- Bhubaneswar to Tundla
During the Mahakumbh mela, the above train trains will run between Bhubaneswar and Tundla every two weeks. It will run for more than 31 hours, covering a lot of places and stopping at Cuttack, Jakhapura, Keonjhar, Bokaro, and Gaya before reaching Tundla.
Passengers can conveniently travel in a sleeper class, third AC, or second AC. Since this is a special train and lakhs of people would be traveling, the number of tickets is limited, which means that devotees should book them as soon as possible.
- Titlagarh to Tundla
This train will cover a huge distance of more than 1600 KM, halting at several stations. Coaches available on the train include Sleeper Class, Third AC, Second AC, AC Economy, and General. The journey will commence at 5 PM sharp and the train will reach its destination after 33 hours, running in both January and February of 2025.
- Katra to Prayagraj
This journey will commence from Katra district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir; the journey will start at 3:50 AM and reach Prayagraj at 5:45 PM the next day. As an inseparable part of India’s religious tourism, this train will stop at various location while covering a distance of approximately 1300 km.
- Vadodara to Prayagraj
The train starts its journey in Gujarat and travels to Uttar Pradesh, where the main activities of the Mahakumbh mela occur. This express train will run every week during the Maha Kumbh season.
The train will commence its journey at 8:35 AM sharp and reach Prayagraj at 7:00 PM the next day, travelling a distance of approximately 1250 km. This journey will give devotees from different locations a spiritual experience.
Note: There are many trains started as special trains up to Prayagraj for Mahakumbh. Only a single train on each route has been described here.
You can book the tickets online through the official website of IRCTC. Or you can also go to the station to get the physical tickets as well, but a lot of stations nowadays do not permit ticket booking in the station to fight the hogging of tickets by the booking agents.
Procedure of Ticket Booking
The Mahakumbh Mela takes place every 12 years, allowing millions of devotees to attend it and repent for their sins. To ensure you can be one of those devotees who attend this rare event, you must book your tickets well in advance. A good idea would be to contact your travel agents for the same.
In 2013, around 120 million attended the Maha Kumbh mela, whereas in 2019, 150 million people participated at the Kumbh mela. The Kumbh mela occurs annually across cities, but Maha KKumbhmela is held in 4 cities. The number of people attending the Maha Kumbh mela will cross 180 million, even going as far as 200 million. This is why the government is prioritising crowd management to avoid any accidents.
